PSYCH 111 PRELIMS

Chapter 1: The Nature of Psychology

From the lectures of Gabrielle Lizada and textbook College Psychology by Ericson D. Batican, Nelly Z. Limbadan, Gail Tan Ilagan.

(1) Helps us understand why people behave the way that they do.
(2) Guide to an effective inquiry to the phenomenon using well established scientific
What is Psychology? methods.
(3) Scientific study of human behavior and cognitive processes.
(4) “The study of the mind/soul”
Sigmund Freud Stated that SEX and AGGRESSION drives human behavior.
Thomas Hobbes
Human beings AVOID PAIN and SEEK PLEASURE.
(Philosopher)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Man is naturally born GOOD.
(Philosopher)
Man is NEITHER GOOD NOR BAD.
John Locke
(Philosopher)
Man is compared to tabula rasa (blank/empty paper).
Punching a hole on the head to let out bad spirits. (from the first definition,
Trepanation/Trephination
psychology is the study of the soul)
Overt Type of behavior that is visible.
Covert Type of behavior that is not easily observable (thinking, feeling, emotions).
introspective self-report questionnaire with the purpose of indicating differing
Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around them and make
(Personality test) decisions. The MBTI was constructed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter
Isabel Briggs Myers.
The Early Beginning of Psychology
Pscyche = Mind
Psyche + Logos (Greek)
Logos = Study
Literal meaning The study of the mind.
Definition Scientific study of human behavior and cognitive processes.
(1) Psychologists can read minds
Common misconceptions (2) psychologists can hypnotize or control the mind of their patients
(3) Psychologists are the same as the psychiatrists
Roots of Psychology
Philosophy + Physiology The building blocks of Psychology
Greek philosophers who 1st questioned the nature of the mind and human
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
experience.
By Wunt and student (Edward Titchener),

Structuralism Approach Conscious experience can be broken down into basic elements.

Approach is perceived as too subjective, unscientific (therefore short-lived).

is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the
Introspection process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one's mental state, while
in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's soul.
The very moment that modern psychology was born was when he created the 1st
Wilhelm Wunt (Founder of
experimental apparatus that measure the time when a ball hit a platform and time it
Structuralism approach)
hit a telegraph key in Liepzig,Germany on December 1879.
Sensations and perception Are the elements in the creation of conscious mental experience.
Based on Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
Functionalism Approach
Considers mental life and behavior in terms of active adaptation to the person's
environment
Williams James Proposed that the mind functions and adapts to the ever-changing world. Argued that
(Founder of Functionalism mental activities have adaptive functions and have evolved through the ages. He
approach) wrote the textbook Principles of Psychology in 1890.
Gestalt Psychology/Gestaltism The mind forms a global whole with self-organizing tendencies.
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Chapter 1: The Nature of Psychology

The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts (Macro-thinking).

Gestaltism is an attempt to understand the laws behind the ability to acquire and
maintain meaningful perceptions in an apparently chaotic world.
Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Demonstrated perception through the movement of using two bulbs. Perceptual
Kohler, Kurt Kofka experiences resulted from the tendency of the brain to interpret the “whole pattern”,
(Founders of Gestaltism) or the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Father of behaviorism. Rejected introspections as a method of studying your own
experiences and insisted that psychology should be objective and should only study
John B. Watson
observable behaviors, including the analysis of how to control and predict those
behaviors.
Pavlov’s classical conditioning and Skinner’s operant conditioning demonstrated that a
Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner behavior can be conditioned through association and that behavior can also be
shaped through consequences.
6 Modern Approaches
Approach Principal Contributors Description
Only observable events (stimulus response relations) can be
studies scientifically. Behaviors like eating, playing
basketball, or talking.

Organisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive

outcomes, and they tend not to repeat responses that lead to
neutral or negative outcomes. (Skinner)
Behavioral/Behaviorism/Stimulus- John B. Watson, Ivan
response (S-R) Psychology Pavlov, B.F. Skinner Little Albert Experiment (fear of white furry animals) showed that
behavior can be conditioned and trained.

Learned Helplessness (by Martin Seligman), is behavior that occurs

when the subject endures repeatedly painful or otherwise aversive
stimuli which it is unable to escape from or avoid. After such
experiences, the organism often fails to learn or accept "escape" or
"avoidance" in new situations where such behavior is likely to be
effective.
Unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood
govern personality and mental disorders; the influences of
the unconscious fears, desires, and motivations on our
thoughts and actions.

Human behavior is determined by how we cope with sexual urges.

(Freud)

Freud Iceberg Theory the unconscious mind is the primary source

of human behavior. Like an iceberg, the most important part of the
mind is the part you cannot see.
Sigmund Freud, Carl
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic
Jung, Alfred Adler
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Chapter 1: The Nature of Psychology
Humans are free rational beings with the potential to
personal growth and they are fundamentally different from
animals.
Carl Rogers, Abraham
Humanistic Human beings are constantly evolving and fulfilling their potential.
Maslow
Psychological disorders are developed from the inability to achieve
those needs. Therefore, knowing the fundamental drive towards
personal growth is the main key in understanding human behavior.
(Rogers and Maslow)
Human behavior cannot be fully understood without
examining how people acquire, store, and process
Jean Piaget, Noam information.
Cognitive Chomsky, Herbert
This field focuses on how individuals process information (such as
Simon
memory, attention, perception, learning, forgetting, reasoning,
concept formation, thinking, planning, decision-making, and
judgement) and it influences behavior.
An organism functioning can be explained in terms of the
bodily structures and biochemical processes that underlie
James Olds, Roger behavior.
Biological Sperry, David Hubel,
Studies how genes, hormones, and the nervous system interact
Torsten Wiesel
with the environment and dictates our traits, tendencies, and
personality. Example, depression is caused by abnormal changes in
the level of norepinephrine and serotonin.
Behavior patterns have evolved to solve adaptive problems;
natural selection favors behaviors that enhance
David Buss, Martin
reproductive success.
Daly, Margo Wilson,
Evolutionary
Leda Cosmides, John
This theory is heavily anchored on Darwin’s Theory of
Tooby
Evolution; emphasizing the importance of adaptation,
reproduction, and survival of the fittest.
Psychology is not Psychiatry
Psychiatry Treats mental disorders from a medical perspective.
Had medical training and treats mental disorders through pharmacotherapy (drug
Psychiatrist
prescription).
Psychology Ranges from brain function to social interaction and crisis to wellness.
Posses a doctorate degree and post graduate training for research and other
Psychologist
specializations in psychology. They use psychotherapy.
Psychology in the Philippines
University of the Philippines,
The first Psychology Department in the Philippines.
School of Education
Headed the first Psychology Department. Received his PhD in Experimental
Agustin Alonzo
Psychology from the University of Chicago.
University of Sto. Tomas First institution to offer undergraduate, masters and doctorate degrees in Psychology.
1. Jaime Bulatao
The pioneers of Psychology from (1) Fordham University, (2) Standford University, (3)
2. Mariano Obias
University of Michigan, (4) Iowa State University, (5) University of Texas, (6) University
3. Sinforoso Padilla
of Michigan, (7) Hardvard University.
4. jesus Perpinan
5. Elias Bumatay
They are the catalysts in forming the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP)
6. Estefania Aldaba-Lim
in 1962.
7. Alfredo Lagmay
Formed in 1962. Aims to harness and practice those in psychological research. Active
Psychological Association of the
in community work responding to natural disasters and promote wellbeing and
Philippines
prevent disorders.
Research in Psychology
4 Main Steps (1) Identify questions of interest
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Chapter 1: The Nature of Psychology
(2) Formulate explanation
(3) Carry out research to support/challenge explanation
(4) Communicate findings
Goals of Psychology UNDERSTAND, PREDICT, and INFLUENCE
Central Ingredient of the Scientific
RESEARCH
Method
Measures the degree to which the initial explanation of a certain phenomenon is true
Research
that can be used as a basis for our future decisions.
Archival Research
Utilizes old records to get a glimpse of past events, people, and places.
(Descriptive Design)
Naturalistic Observation
Recording/gathering of data in the natural habitat of the subject. No manipulation.
(Descriptive Design)
Survey Research Use of survey questionnaire to look into the behaviors or opinions. Most widely used
(Descriptive Design) research method.
When subjects are considered rare and extraordinary. Researcher should records all
possible information and experiences of the subject to draw a realistic and
comprehensive picture of his/her life and experiences.
Case Studies
(Descriptive Design) Typical techniques: interviewing, examination of records, psychological testing, and
direct behavioral observation.

Disadvantage: limitation on generalizability

Investigate the relationship between variables, without the experimental
manipulation of an independent variable.
Correlational Studies
Disadvantage: cannot determine cause and effect relationships.
Positive Correlation Indicates that variables change simultaneously in the same direction.
Negative Correlation Variables change simultaneously in opposite directions.
Zero Correlation Two variables have no relationship to each other.
Illusory Correlation Two events happen close together, it is easy to believe that the first caused the other.
Investigates the cause and effect relationship between variables under controlled
Experimental Research
conditions.
(1) Independent variable – manipulated variable
(2) Dependent variable – variable that is measured and expected to change as result
to the manipulation
Elements of Experimental
(3) Random assignment – randomly assigns participant
Research
(4) Hypothesis – prediction
(5) Experimental group – group in which the hypothesized cause is present
(6) Control group – group in which the hypothesized cause is absent
Specialty Focus of Professional Practice in the Philippines
RA 10029 Psychology Law that regulates the practice of psychology in the Philippines
Trained in the process of evaluating behavior through tests, interviews, behavioral
Assessment psychologists
observations and other techniques.
Evaluates, diagnose, and treats clients with psychological disorders and less severed
Clinical psychologists
behavioral and emotional problems.
Provides counselling support for temporary life difficulties that ordinary people
normally go through as they adjust to change. Aid people struggling with everyday
Counseling psychologists
problems of moderate severity (often specialize in family, marital, or career
counseling).
Concerned with the nature of human development across the lifespan in the areas of
Developmental psychologists
cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral, and physical changes.
Counsel children having difficulties in school and aid parents and teachers in solving
Educational psychologists
school-related problems.
Industrial and Organizational (or They run Human Resource departments, work to improve staff moral and attitudes,
Occupational) psychologists striving to increase job satisfaction and productivity, examining organizational
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Chapter 1: The Nature of Psychology
structures and procedures, and making recommendations for improvements in the
world of business.
Study social perception and social influence, with specific topics in attribution,
Social psychologists attitude and attitude change, stereotyping, prejudice, aggression, interpersonal
attraction, helping, group dynamics, and conflict management.
Test your knowledge (Page 19)
(1) It is not true that an average person uses only 10% of his brain.
(2) Vivid dreams do not cause the body to be paralyzed.
(3) Mental stress can cause physical illness.
(4) Color is dependent on perception of light wavelengths; hence, it can be interpreted subjectively. However, color does
exist in the real world as presented by the natural environment.
(5) Brain cells do not regenerate.
(6) Intelligence is not fixed at the same level throughout a person’s life.
(7) Polygraphs (lie detector devices) are not accurate.
(8) Use unpredictable rewards to teach a persisting habit.
(9) -
(10) Traumatic experiences are typically repressed (kept away) in the memory.
(11) Most abused children do not grow up to be abusive adults.
(12) The brain remains active during sleep.