...Karla G. Campos Psychology Class August 29, 2015 Historical Influences Do you know that psychology has been part of everyone’s live? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental process of people and animals. You may not realize it, but you use psychology every day; when you know how to act in each place correctly. On the other hand, psychology has goals as description, explanation, prediction, and control. They help them to know and understand the humans’ behavior. As described, there are many perspectives of early and modern of psychology. We are going to start talking about the perspectives of early psychology. These are structuralism, functionalism, gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism. Structuralism the earliest approach in modern psychology, founded by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 in Germany, its goal was to evaluate the basic elements of a cognizant experience. Also, he was the father of psychology. One of Wundt’s students was Edward Tichener who brought the structuralism to America. They believed that every experience could be broken down into each emotion. After a while, in 1894, one of Titchener’s students was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Regrettably, structuralism died in 1900s. On the other hand, functionalism was created by William James. Structuralism’s work was to how the brain allows humans...
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...While a few different schools of thought dominated the early years of psychology, the number of topics studied by psychologists has grown dramatically since the early 1960s. Today, few psychologists identify their outlook according to a particular school of thought. While you may still find some pure behaviorists or psychoanalysts, the majority of psychologists instead categorize their work according to their specialty area and perspective. Every topic in psychology can be looked at in a number of different ways. For example, let’s consider the subject of aggression. Someone who emphasizes a biological perspective would look at the how the brain and nervous system impact aggressive behavior. A professional who stresses a behavioral perspective would look at how environmental variables reinforce aggressive actions. Another psychologist who utilizes a cross-cultural approach might consider how cultural and social influences contribute to aggressive or violent behaviors. The following are just a few of the major perspectives in modern psychology. The Biological Perspective The study of physiology played a major role in the development of psychology as a separate science. Today, this perspective is known as biological psychology. Sometimes referred to as biopsychology or physiological psychology, this perspective emphasizes the physical and biological bases of behavior. This perspective has grown significantly over the last few decades, especially with advances in our...
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...The Science of Psychology Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Learning Objective Menu • • • • • • • • • • • • • • LO 1.1 LO 1.2 LO 1.3 LO 1.4 LO 1.5 LO 1.6 LO 1.7 LO 1.8 LO 1.9 LO 1.10 LO 1.11 LO 1.12 LO 1.13 LO 1.14 Definition and goals of psychology Structuralism and functionalism Early Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism Modern perspectives Skinner, Maslow and Rogers Psychiatrist, psychologist, and other professionals Psychology is a science; steps in scientific method Naturalistic and laboratory settings Case studies and surveys Correlational technique Experimental approach and terms Placebo and the experimenter effects Conducting a real experiment Ethical concerns in conducting research Principles of critical thinking LO 1.1 Definition and goals of psychology What is Psychology? • Psychology - scientific study of behavior and mental processes. • Behavior - outward or overt actions and reactions. • Mental processes - internal, covert activity of our minds. • Psychology is a science • Prevent possible biases from leading to faulty observations • Precise and careful measurement Menu LO 1.1 Definition and goals of psychology Psychology’s Four Goals 1. Description • • • What is happening? Why is it happening? Theory - general explanation of a set of observations or facts Will it happen again? How can it be changed? 2. Explanation 3. Prediction • • 4. Control Menu LO 1.2 Structuralism and functionalism Structuralism • Structuralism - focused...
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...American Intercontinental University Abstract Ever wonder how the human mind operates. It all started with early perspectives. Early perspective is the starting foundation of our modern day psychology. These perspectives will be the building blocks to a wide world of figuring out the mind and how we as humans think. The study of psychology is so deep, that we will not fully understand it all. In this paper I will inform you about each perspective and provide examples. Individual Project Week 1 Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental health care services, "the understanding of behavior" is the enterprise of psychologists (APA, 2011). There are many early perspectives that surround psychology. These are behaviorism, cognitive, culture and diversity, evolutionary, functionalism, gestalt, humanistic, physiological, psychodynamic, and structuralism. Behaviorism is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. An example of this perspective is learning how to tie your shoes, because it is a learned behavior that must be practice to achieve. Cognitive is form of psychology that examines internal mental processes, such as creativity, perception, thinking, problem solving, memory...
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...The Diverse Nature of Psychology Marie Feltio PSY 490 February 9, 2015 The Diverse Nature of Psychology The field of psychology has its modern origin set just over 100 years ago and during the last 100 years, interest in the field has risen increasingly. Psychology is the scientific discipline that works to explain human emotion, cognition, actions, and motivations. The diverse nature of psychology is clearly defined in its 54 divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA) as each unit addresses a different perspective of psychology providing a distinct aspect of human interaction (Plante, 2011). Although the psychology field has its own diverse distinctions, it offers a variety of perspectives that respects and honors the individuality of every person regardless of background. The diverse nature of the field of psychology provides a greater ability of embodying the humanity as a whole because of its broad nature and diversity. Influence of Diversity on Major Concepts in Psychology Diversity poses an enormous influence on the major concepts in psychology. The cognitive-behavioral, humanistic and psychodynamic perspectives respectively represent different perceptions of human behaviors, each providing and exclusive theory on human nature. The variety of these perspectives and their respective variations are reflective of the diverse thinking among humanity. No person will perceive an event in the same way as another person, and the same should be noted for...
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... | | | | | |Chapter Summary/Lecture Organizer | I. INTRODUCING PSYCHOLOGY A. What is Psychology? - The scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Psychology values empirical evidence - information acquired by direct observation and measurement using systematic scientific methods and critical thinking – the process of objectively evaluating, comparing, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Studying psychology offers practical solutions to everyday problems and develops an appreciation for scientific methods of research, as opposed to pseudo psychologies (“false psychologies”) that pretend to discover psychological information through nonscientific methods. B. Psychology’s Goals -The four goals of psychology are: (1) Description - to describe particular behaviors by careful scientific observation, (2) Explanation – to explain behaviors by conducting experiments to determine their causes, (3) Prediction – to predict when a behavior being studied will occur in the future, and (4) Change – to change inappropriate behavior or circumstances. psychologists investigate behavior...
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...What is Psychology? * Psychology – Scientific study of behavior and mental processes. * Behavior - outward or overt actions and reactions. * Mental processes - Internal , covert activity of our minds. * Psychology is a science * Prevent possible biases from leading to faulty observations * Precise and careful as they can. Psychology’s Four Goals * Description * What is happening? * Explanation * Why is it happening? * Theory - general explanation of a set of observations or facts * Prediction * Will it happen again? * Control * How can it be changed? Structuralism * Structuralism - focused on structure or basic elements of the mind. * Wilhelm Wundt’s psychology laboratory * Germany in 1879 * Developed the technique of objective introspection – process of objectively examining and measuring one’s thoughts and mental activities. * Edward Titchener * Wundt’s student; brought structuralism to America. * Washburn * Titchener’s student; first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. * Structuralism died out in early 1900s. Functionalism * Functionalism - how the mind allows people to adapt, live, work, and play. * Proposed by . * Influenced the modern fields of: * Educational psychology * Evolutionary psychology * Industrial/organizational psychology Gestalt Psychology * Gestalt – “ an organized whole ”...
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...sources and using these different methods, researchers can use scientific methods and perspectives to relate with various patterns and causes for behavior. In the field of psychology, case studies are widely known to help Psychologist’s and researchers with the assistance to help understand and overcome a person’s illness. While examining the “Case Study: Janet’, the use of psychology’s four goals and the modern perspectives were used to help determine the interpretation of the cause. Description Janet was a young girl that grew up in an abusive household that was beaten by her father as a part of a discipline process. Her father never explained why he used such drastic measures, so she grew up thinking that this was acceptable. She presumed that the only way to earn his love and respect was to do better. There was only one positive influence in her life; an aunt, who was rarely around because of the distance between them. Janet learned early to associate love with fear and trying with failure. As Janet grew older, she began to learn that her father might have been wrong. She began to see the regret coming from those actions, and soon realized that she had control. Janet started to guilt her father into anything she wants in just to keep her love. She later marries a man who abuses her, so she uses her newly acquired skills of guilt to acquire anything she wants. Explanation Early studies on Emotional Development Theory where most widely acclaimed by Jean Piaget...
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...Psychology Paper Historical Roots of Psychology Psychology as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary is the science of mind and behavior. It has been around for 130 years in the realms of science. In the history of psychology, there are different people who studied different aspects under this topic. One of those people were Plato who was Aristotle’s teacher. He stated that the soul could exist even when away or separated from the body. This concept is known as “dualism”. “In dualism, ‘mind’ is contrasted with ‘body’” (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/dualism). Another person is René Descartes. He agreed with Plato about the concept of dualism and he believed that the “pineal gland” which is the small organ at the base of the brain involved in sleep was the “seat of the soul” (Saundra K. Ciccarelli, 2012). “The pineal gland played an important role in Descartes' account because it was involved in sensation, imagination, memory, and the causation of bodily movements” (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/pineal-gland/). By this information we can connect the pineal gland being the seat of the soul by it being involved in sensation, imagination, memory, and the cause of bodily movements. It is said to be the seat of the soul because it is where the soul from being “individual”, becomes one with the body. Gustav Fechneris who was a physician and a physicist, often credited with performing some of the first scientific experiments that...
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...Contemporary psychology deals with a vast range of topics; while at the same time looks into human +behavioral patterns and mental processes from the cultural level to the neural level. Psychologists study all matters pertaining to human mental issues that begin right from birth and continue until the death of the person. So, by gaining full understanding of the history of psychology, you will be able to better understand how the individual topics are studied and what has been learned so far. Doubts, Questions at the Beginning Right from the beginning, the study of psychology has been faced with a number of difficult questions. The first question of how is psychology defined established it as a separate science, separate from philosophy and physiology. Other additional questions that psychologists were also faced with throughout the history of the subject were: What issues and topics should the subject of psychology deal with? What methods of research should be used when studying psychology? Should research be used in order to influence education, public policy and other aspects of human behavior? Is psychology a science? Should psychology focus on internal mental processes or on observable behavior? Physiology and Philosophy While psychology did not really emerge as a separate science until the latter half of the 19th century, its initial history can be traced right back to the ancient Greeks. During the 1600's, the famous French philosopher, Rene Descartes, introduced...
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...Psychology Perspectives 5 main psychology approaches: * Behaviorist Perspective * Psychodynamic Perspective * Cognitive Psychology * Biological Psychology * Evolutionary Psychology Behaviorism – different from most other approaches because they view people (and animals) as controlled by their environment and specifically that we are the result of what we have learned from our environment. * Concerned with how environmental factors (stimuli) affect observable behavior (response)) 2 main processes learn from environment: * Classical conditioning * Operant conditioning Behaviorism- scientific study of observable behavior working on basis that behavior can reduced to learned S-R (Stimulus-Response) units. Classical conditioning- studied by Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov. Looking into natural reflexes and neutral stimuli he managed to conditioning dogs to salivate to the sound of a bell through repeated associated of the sound of the bell and food. * Principles of CC applied in many therapies include systematic desensitization for phobias and aversion therapy. Operant conditioning- B.F. Skinner investigated voluntary and involuntary behavior. Skinner felt that some behavior could be explained by the person’s motive. Therefore behavior occurs for a reason, 3 main behavior shaping techniques: * Positive reinforcement * Negative reinforcement * Punishment Psychodynamic Perspective Sigmund Freud- many expressions from our daily...
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...Cognitive psychology Psy/360 April 13, 2012 Cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the area of psychology that evaluates the "mental processes including how people think, perceive, and even learn. (Van Wagner, 2009)." Cognitive Psychology is a psychological perspective that addresses mental processes such as thinking, problem solving, perceiving, remembering, believing, and speaking, and seeks to identify behavior by characteristics other than its obvious properties” ("Cognitive psychology," 2009). Cognitive psychology is often compared to behaviorism because of the sharp contrast of the perspectives (Willingham, 2007) Cognitive psychology is used the most when someone is evaluating patients for different types of mental disorders and diseases. The principles that have evolved from the founding of cognitive psychology from the early times starting from the Greek philosophers to modern day psychologist it has greatly affect how people around the world think about the psychological processes of the human mind. Greek philosophers were the first people to start looking into the human mind and how it works. Plato and some of the other early Greek philosophers started creating the foundation for what would be known as today as cognitive psychology (Anderson, 2005). Plato's principles of rationalism described how reality should be viewed, stating that "reality resides not in the concrete objects we perceive but in the abstract forms that these objects represent...
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...Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes. Psychology is really a very new science, with most advances happening over the past 150 years or so. However, it's origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, 400 – 500 years BC. The emphasis was a philosophical one, with great thinkers such as Socrates influencing Plato, who in turn influenced Aristotle. Philosophers used to discuss many topics now studied by modern psychology, such as memory, free will, attraction etc. In the early days of psychology there were two dominant theoretical perspectives. An American psychologist named William James (1842-1910) developed an approach which came to be known as functionalism. He argued that the mind is constantly changing and it is pointless to look for the building blocks of experience. Instead, focus should be on how and why an organism does something. It was suggested that psychologists should look for the underlying cause of behavior and the mental the processes involved. This emphasis on the causes and consequences of behavior has influenced contemporary psychology. Structuralism was the name given to the approach pioneered by Wilhelm Wundt. The term originated from Edward Titchener, an American psychologist who had been trained by Wundt. Structuralism relied on trained introspection...
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...The cognitive approach to human and comparative psychology rests on two main assumptions: 1) there are cognitive representations and processes that act on those representations 2) we can discover these representations and processes, albeit indirectly (Willingham, 2007). This approach offers a middle ground between B.F. Skinner’s cut-and-dry input—output relations and C.L. Hull’s hypothetical constructs and intervening variables. In the first case, there is no room for intermediary cognitive processes between stimulus and response, outside the realm of simple associative learning. In the second case, there is lacking an explicit scientific means by which to objectively observe the theoretical cognitive mechanisms in question. However, E. C. Tolman was one of the first psychologists to suggest that intermediary cognitive processes could be deduced through the results of scientifically rigorous experimentation (Zentall, 2002). It is on this very basic proposition, that theoretical cognitive processes can be inferred by observing behavior, which most informs the developmental milestones in the formation of the cognitive perspective as a branch of psychology. Development of Cognitive Psychology The development of the cognitive approach as a mainstream psychological perspective is marked by four major milestones: 1) the shortfalls of the behaviorist perspective of psychology 2) the ability for abstract constructs to account for the aforementioned shortfalls 3) the bridging of abstract...
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...The Foundations of Psychology Psychology is the scientific investigation of mental processes and behavior. Mental processes include how a person thinks, feels, remembers as well as a person’s behavior. When a doctor needs to understand a person they need to know the person’s biology, psychological experience, and cultural context. People’s experiences during their life from birth to adulthood are what shape how they feel and think. Early psychologists established several approaches and schools of thoughts of psychology. These schools of thought are known as the psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive and evolutionary perspectives. They came up with these by research and study which will be discussed throughout this paper. In many respects, these perceptions have progressed independently, and at the center of each are singularities the others tend to ignore (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Despite their differences, each school of thought sought evolution for psychology as well as advancement of human understanding while remaining focused on the unique characteristics of contemporary psychology. Psychodynamic Perspective. The psychodynamic perspective belief is that most of the mental processes and emotions happen at the unconscious or subconscious levels, meaning below conscious awareness. Sigmund Freud was one of the most influential thinkers in the early twentieth century whose work in the psychodynamic...
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