Midterm #1 Review Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology in Your Life  Modern Western Psychology: the scientific study of the Behavior of individuals and their Mental Processes.  Scientific Method: The set of procedures used for gathering and interpreting objective information in a way that minimizes error and yields dependable generalizations.  Four Goals of Psychology: o Behavior: The actions by which an organism adjusts to its environment. o 1. Describe Behavior 2. Explain Behavior 3. Predict Behavior 4. Control Behavior o Thus to improve the quality of life.  Behavioral Data: Observational reports about the behavior of organisms and the conditions under which the behavior occurs or changes.  Structuralism The study of the structure of mind and behavior; the view that all human mental experience can be understood as a combination of simple elements or events.  Functionalism: The perspective on mind and behavior that focuses on the examination of their functions in an organism’s interactions with the environment.  Introspection: Individuals’ systematic examination of their own thoughts and feelings.  Gestalt psychology: A school of psychology that maintains that psychological phenomena can be understood only when viewed as organized, structured wholes, not when broken down into primitive perceptual elements.  Mary Whiton Calkins (1863–1930): o Harvard refused to grant Ph.D because she was a woman; o Calkins established one of the first psychology laboratories in the United States and invented important techniques for studying memory. o In 1905, she became the first woman president of the American Psychological Association.  Different approaches to studying psychology and the different topic areas in psychology: o 1. Psychodynamic: (late 19th – early 20th C.) inherited instincts, biological drives, and attempts to resolve conflicts between personal needs and society’s demands. o Sigmund Freud o 2. Behaviorist: (1930’s – 50’s) environmental stimuli. o John Watson and B.F. Skinner work pioneered behaviorism. o Behaviorism: A scientific approach that limits the study of psychology to measurable or observable behavior.  Yielded a critical practical legacy. Its emphasis on the need for rigorous experimentation and carefully defined variables has influenced most areas of psychology. o 3. Humanistic: (1950’s – 1970’s) own choices based on striving for personal growth and development of their potential o Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow o 4. Cognitive: (1970’S) thoughts and computations. Learning and memory, language, problem solving. o Daniel Kahneman (2002 Nobel Prize) and Jean Piaget o 5. Sociocultural: (contemporary) adaptations for survival o 6. Evolutionary Perspective: (contemporary) adaptations for survival o 7. Physiological/Biological: (very contemporary) genes, the brain, the nervous system and the endocrine system.  Relation of scientific psychology to common sense Unlike common sense, Psychology's principles are based on rigorous research and verifiable evidence. “It is postulated that common sense may be categorized in 3 ways: (a) as a set of shared fundamental assumptions, (b) as a set of maxims or shared beliefs, and (c) as a shared way of thinking. It is argued that psychology has and should have a different relationship with each area. The role that conceptual analysis and other research techniques can play in investigating commonsense cognitive schemata is discussed. It is concluded that common sense is a valuable but inherently dangerous resource available to psychologists. What makes common sense, viewed as a way of thinking, a dangerous resource for psychologists is its propensity to operate silently in the unconscious infrastructure of the mind. Accordingly, it tends to be recalcitrant to analysis while at the same time exerting a powerful hidden influence over psychologists' thinking that is often both unanalyzed and unevaluated.”  “Challenge Topic”: In What Ways do Psychologists Participate in the Legal System? - Legal system relies on Forensic Psychologists to provide assessments for both civil and criminal proceedings. They provide evidence that influences decisions about child custody in divorce hearings. Might also testify about the potential psychological harm workers have sustained in a particular place of employment. - On the criminal side, forensic psychologists evaluate people’s capacity to understand the acts they have committed and their competence to stand trial. They also assess whether individuals are a danger to themselves or others. - Theoretical Analysis of the life factors that make violence more or less likely. o Static Factors: those that are relatively stable over time (such as gender and age at first conviction) o Dynamic Factors: are those that may change over time (such as emotional control and substance abuse) - Basically provide psychological guidance for legal judgments.  Freebie Question #1: Research psychologists who take a behavioral perspective are likely to: (a) assume that the general principles of behavior will hold true for different species  Recapping Main Points: o What Makes Psychology Unique?  Psychology is the scientific study of the behavior and the mental processes of individuals.  The goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict, and help control behavior. o The Evolution of Modern Psychology  Structuralism emerged from the work of Wundt and Titchener. It emphasized the structure of the mind and behavior built from elemental sensations.  Functionalism, developed by James and Dewey, emphasized the purpose behind behavior.  Taken together, these theories created the agenda for modern psychology.  Women made substantial research contributions in psychology’s early history.  Each of the seven perspectives on psychology differs in its view of human nature, the determinants of behavior, the focus of study, and the primary research approach.  The psychodynamic perspective looks at behavior as driven by instinctive forces, inner conflicts, and conscious and unconscious motivations.  The behaviorist perspective views behavior as determined by external stimulus conditions.  The humanistic perspective emphasizes an individual’s inherent capacity to make rational choices.  The cognitive perspective stresses mental processes that affect behavioral responses.  The biological perspective studies relationships between behavior and brain mechanisms.  The evolutionary perspective looks at behavior as having evolved as an adaptation for survival in the environment.  The sociocultural perspective examines behavior and its interpretation in cultural context. o What Psychologists Do  Psychologists work in a variety of settings and draw on expertise from a range of specialty areas.  Almost any question that can be generated about real-life experiences is addressed by some member of the psychological profession.  The definition of psychology focuses on both ______________ and ______________. a. behaviors; structures