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Module 2

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20 views

Module 2

Uploaded by

kristinekangg
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Module 2: Psychology’s Big Issues and Approaches

2.1: Psychology’s Biggest Question


● Today, psychology is the scientific study of behavior + mental processes
● Nature-nurture issue: controversy over the contribution of genes and experiences in
psychological development
○ E.g. Are humans born evil or made evil?
● Natural selection: principal that those w advantageous traits will survive to reproduce offspring
that have those same traits
○ Created by Charles Darwin

2.2: Psychology’s Three Main Levels of Analysis


● Levels of analysis: the different views of analyzing a phenomenon
○ Biological, psychological, social-cultural
● Biopsychosocial approach: considering the 3 levels of analysis when approaching a situation

Perspective Focus

Behavioral How we learn observable responses

Biological How brain and body create emotions, thoughts,


memories, etc

Behavior genetics How genes + environment influence individual differences

Cognitive How we encode, process, store, remember info

Evolutionary How natural selection has promoted certain


behaviors’/genes’ survival

Humanistic How we meet our needs for love and acceptance and
achieve self-fulfillment

Psychodynamic How the unconscious directs all behavior

Social-cultural How behavior and thinking vary across situations and


cultures
2.3: Psychology’s Subfields
● Cognitive psychology: study of all mental activities
● Evolutionary psychology: study of evolution of behavior and mind
● Psychodynamic psychology: study of how unconscious influences behavior and how to use that
info to treat patients w psychological disorders
● Social-cultural psychology: study of how situations and cultures affect behavior and thinking
● Psychometrics: study of measurement of human abilities, attitudes, traits

Basic Research (increase knowledge base)


● Biological psychology → links between brain and mind
● Cognitive psychology → how we perceive, think, solve problems
● Developmental psychology → how behavior + mental processes change over lifespan
● Educational psychology → how psychological processes affect teaching and learning
● Personality psychology → persistent traits/patterns
● Social psychology → how ppl influence each other

Applied Research (solve practical problems)


● Industrial Organizational (I/O) psychology → optimize human behavior in workplaces
○ Human factors psychology: I/O subfield that explores how ppl and machines interact
● Counseling psychology → help ppl cope w challenges
● Clinical psychology → assess and treat ppl w psychological disorders
● Psychiatry: branch of medicine that deals w psychological disorders
○ Psychiatrists + physicians can prescribe drugs and treat physical causes of
psychological disorders
● Positive psychology → study human functioning to make communities thrive

The Helping Professions


● Clinical psychology → assess and treat ppl w psychological disorders
● Community psychology → study how ppl interact w social environment and how social
institutions affect ppl
● Counseling psychology → help ppl cope w challenges

American Psychological Association


● 1892; Clark University
● Mary Whiton Calkin - 1st female APA president
● G. Stanley Hall - 1st APA president; 1st to get psych PhD
● Margaret Floy Washburn - 1st female to get psych PhD

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