PSYCH-1200
Chapter 1 : What is Psychology
Psychology is the scientific discipline concerning
behaviour and mental processes. How these processes Textbook Definitions
effect an organisms physical and mental states and
their external environments. Psychology is based on
research and empirical.
What isn’t Psychology?
Pop psych and pseudoscience are often mistaken for
psychology. Fortune telling, astrology, numerology etc.
Critical Thinking is the ability and willingness to assess
claims and make objective judgements on the basis of
of well supported reasons and evidence rather than
emotion of anecdote.
5 Steps to Being a Good Critical Thinker
1. Be willing to wonder
2. Define your terms clearly
3. Analyze Assumptions and Biases
Assumptions are beliefs taken for granted
4. Examine the Evidence
5. Weigh the Conclusions
One of the hardest lessons of learning to think
critically is how to live with uncertainty and to
concider other interpretations.
,PSYCH-1200
Scientific Principles
Scientific thought has two fundamental beliefs:
Empiricism: philosophical tenet that knowledge comes through experience
Determinism: belief that all events are governed by cause-and-effect relationships
Zeitgeist: Refers to a general set of beliefs of a particular culture at a specific time
Delayed the science of psychology
Materialism: the belief all living beings are composed of physical matter
The Beginnings of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
Setup the fist labratory dedicated to studying human behaviour
Used trained introspection: a process of “looking within” to describe sensations
Introspection and Structuralism
Structuralism: analyzing conscious experience by
breaking it down into basic elements and understand
how these elements work together
William James (1842-1910)
Wrote the first modern textbook in psychology,
The Principles of Psychology
Influenced by Darwins evolutionary principles
Proposed Functionalism: the study of the purpose
and function of behaviour and conscious experience
,PSYCH-1200
The Work of Freud
Sigmund Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis emphasized
unconscious causes of psychological problems. Freud
argued that conscious awareness is merely the tip of
a mental iceberg. Leading to his idea of Ego, Superego,
and ID. Freudian concepts evolved into a broad theory
of personality and a method of psychotherapy,
however, they were rejected by majority of
empirically oriented psychologists.
Classical Conditioning
A learing process where a neutral stimulus
becomes a conditioned stimulus by being
repeatedly paired with an unconditioned
simulus, which naturally elicits an
unconditioned response.
Operant Conditioning
a learning method where voluntary behaviours are
modified by consequences, which can either reinforce
the behaviour or punish it.
Pillars of Psychology
The five major domains that organize the study of
human behaviours.
, PSYCH -1200
The Biological Pillar
The biological pillar emphasizes bodily events associated
with actions, thoughts, feelings, and genetic contributions.
electrical impulses
hormones From the Texbook
brain’s ability to notices senses
“The biological pillar relies
The Cognitive Pillar on various tools that provide
a glimpse into the brain and
The cognitive pillar emphasizes how people:
body. Returning to our
reason and remember example of trying to
understand the roots of
comprehend language violent behaviour, research
based on the biological pillar
solve problems and acquire moral standards
might consider whether
explain experiences there are structural or
functional differences in
The cognitive pillar is the study of mental processes and various regions of the brains
between individuals who
explores phenomena such as insight, false memory, and
turn quickly to violence and
thinking outside of conscious awareness. those who do not, as well as
the degree to which violent
The Developmental Pillar tendencies seem to have a
genetic or inherited
The developmental perspective explores ways in which
component.”
preferences, attitudes, identities, and social patterns change
over ones lifetime. Developmental researchers ask about how
we acquire skills and tendencies we have now, and how
these processes continue to evolve throughout the rest of
our lives.
Chapter 1 : What is Psychology
Psychology is the scientific discipline concerning
behaviour and mental processes. How these processes Textbook Definitions
effect an organisms physical and mental states and
their external environments. Psychology is based on
research and empirical.
What isn’t Psychology?
Pop psych and pseudoscience are often mistaken for
psychology. Fortune telling, astrology, numerology etc.
Critical Thinking is the ability and willingness to assess
claims and make objective judgements on the basis of
of well supported reasons and evidence rather than
emotion of anecdote.
5 Steps to Being a Good Critical Thinker
1. Be willing to wonder
2. Define your terms clearly
3. Analyze Assumptions and Biases
Assumptions are beliefs taken for granted
4. Examine the Evidence
5. Weigh the Conclusions
One of the hardest lessons of learning to think
critically is how to live with uncertainty and to
concider other interpretations.
,PSYCH-1200
Scientific Principles
Scientific thought has two fundamental beliefs:
Empiricism: philosophical tenet that knowledge comes through experience
Determinism: belief that all events are governed by cause-and-effect relationships
Zeitgeist: Refers to a general set of beliefs of a particular culture at a specific time
Delayed the science of psychology
Materialism: the belief all living beings are composed of physical matter
The Beginnings of Psychology
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
Setup the fist labratory dedicated to studying human behaviour
Used trained introspection: a process of “looking within” to describe sensations
Introspection and Structuralism
Structuralism: analyzing conscious experience by
breaking it down into basic elements and understand
how these elements work together
William James (1842-1910)
Wrote the first modern textbook in psychology,
The Principles of Psychology
Influenced by Darwins evolutionary principles
Proposed Functionalism: the study of the purpose
and function of behaviour and conscious experience
,PSYCH-1200
The Work of Freud
Sigmund Freud’s theory of Psychoanalysis emphasized
unconscious causes of psychological problems. Freud
argued that conscious awareness is merely the tip of
a mental iceberg. Leading to his idea of Ego, Superego,
and ID. Freudian concepts evolved into a broad theory
of personality and a method of psychotherapy,
however, they were rejected by majority of
empirically oriented psychologists.
Classical Conditioning
A learing process where a neutral stimulus
becomes a conditioned stimulus by being
repeatedly paired with an unconditioned
simulus, which naturally elicits an
unconditioned response.
Operant Conditioning
a learning method where voluntary behaviours are
modified by consequences, which can either reinforce
the behaviour or punish it.
Pillars of Psychology
The five major domains that organize the study of
human behaviours.
, PSYCH -1200
The Biological Pillar
The biological pillar emphasizes bodily events associated
with actions, thoughts, feelings, and genetic contributions.
electrical impulses
hormones From the Texbook
brain’s ability to notices senses
“The biological pillar relies
The Cognitive Pillar on various tools that provide
a glimpse into the brain and
The cognitive pillar emphasizes how people:
body. Returning to our
reason and remember example of trying to
understand the roots of
comprehend language violent behaviour, research
based on the biological pillar
solve problems and acquire moral standards
might consider whether
explain experiences there are structural or
functional differences in
The cognitive pillar is the study of mental processes and various regions of the brains
between individuals who
explores phenomena such as insight, false memory, and
turn quickly to violence and
thinking outside of conscious awareness. those who do not, as well as
the degree to which violent
The Developmental Pillar tendencies seem to have a
genetic or inherited
The developmental perspective explores ways in which
component.”
preferences, attitudes, identities, and social patterns change
over ones lifetime. Developmental researchers ask about how
we acquire skills and tendencies we have now, and how
these processes continue to evolve throughout the rest of
our lives.
