PSYA01H3 Introduction to Psychology Part
1 Summary of Chapter 1-8 Lecture Notes
from the Text book UNIVERSITY OF
TORONTO
,1.1 The Science of Psychology
Two unifying qualities of psychological science:
1. Psychology involves the study of behaviour including perceptions,
thoughts and emotions.
2. Psychology employs the scientific method in their work.
Psychology: Scientific study of behaviour, thought, and experience, and
how they can be
affected by physical, mental, social, and environmental factors.
Scientific method: Way of learning about the world
-collecting observations
-developing theories to explain them
-using theories to make predictions
(Involves hypothesis testing and construction of theories)
Hypothesis: Testable prediction about processes that can be observed and
measured.
- Can be supported or rejected (you do not PROVE a hypothesis)
- MUST be testable
Pseudoscience: Idea that is shown as science but does not actually use
basic principles of
scientific thinking/procedure.
Theory: Explanation for broad range of observations that also generates
new hypotheses
:Combines numerous findings into a whole
(General principles/explanations of some aspect of the world, including human
behaviours)
- Built from hypotheses (repeatedly tested + confirmed)
- Must be falsifiable (process helps to ensure that science is self-
correcting)
Biopsychosocial model: Explaining behavior as a product of biological,
psychological +
sociocultural factors
Ex. Social situations can affect how we think
-getting annoyed at the crowded hallway at school, can trigger the release
of
chemicals and hormones in your brain
- Biological (brain structures and chemicals, hormones, and external
substances such as drugs)
- Psychological (memories, emotions, and personalities)
- Social factors (family, peers, ethnicity, and culture)
,Scientific literacy: Ability to understand, analyze +apply scientific
information
- Knowledge gathering (What do we know about this?)
- Scientific explanation (how can science explain it?)
- Critical thinking (Can we critically evaluate the evidence?)
- Application (why is this relevant?)
1.2 How Psychology Became a Science
Science is a philosophy of knowledge that stems from two fundamental
beliefs
(psychology of science is both empiricism and determinism):
1. Empiricism is a philosophical tenet that knowledge comes through
experience.
-Knowledge about the world is based on careful observation, not on common
sense/ speculation
-Whatever we see/measure should be observable by anyone else who follows
same method
2. Determinism is the belief that all events are governed by lawful,
cause + effect relationships
Hippocrates (physician in Ancient Greece)
-Developed world’s 1st personality classification scheme
-Ancient Greeks believed that 4 humours/fluids flowed throughout body +
influenced both health and personality
Different combinations of fluids lead to specific mood and behaviours
Galen (roman physician) refined Hippocrates’s work
-4 temperaments (different combination leads to specific emotional and personality
that remain stable throughout lifetime):
- Blood (Sanguine): a tendency to be impulsive
- Yellow Bile (Choleric): a tendency to be ambitious, energetic, a bit
aggressive
- Black Bile (Melancholic): a tendency to be independent, perfectionistic,
a bit
introverted
- Phlegm (Phlegmatic): a tendency to be quiet, relaxed, and content with
life
Both attempted to categorize personalities.
Zeitgeist: General set of beliefs of a particular culture at a specific time in
history
, Materialism: Belief that humans, and other living beings are composed of
physical matter
- We are nothing more than complex machines that lack a self-conscious, self-
controlling soul.
Dualism: Belief that there are properties of humans that are not material (a
mind or soul
separate from the body)
-machine controlled by a soul
Gustav Fechner studied sensation + perception
-Interested in natural world of moving objects and energy
-Coined the term psychophysics (study of relationship between physical world
+ mental representation of that world.
- Demonstrated basic principles of how the physical and mental worlds
interact
- Developed equation to calculate perceived change in weight
Extended the formula to apply to changes in brightness, loudness +
other perceptual experiences
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection
-Genetically inherited traits that contribute to survival + reproduction are
more likely to flourish within population (Ex. Useful traits will be passed onto the
next generation)
- Explains why there is such diversity of life on earth (different traits are
beneficial in different environment)
- Theory also explained human and animal behaviour such as aggression
Clinical psychology: Field of psychology that concentrates on the
diagnosis and
treatment of psychological disorders.
Brain localization: Idea that certain parts of the brain control specific
mental
abilities + personality characteristics.
Studied in 2 different ways:
- Phrenology: Belief that the brain consisted of 27 “organs”
-dealing with mental + inherited traits
-detected by examining surface of the skull (Franz Gall +
Johann Spurzheim)
- If someone has particular trait/ ability, brain related to characteristic
would be larger
- Larger brain area cause bumps on head (identify different traits)
The other approach involve study of brain injuries + how they affect
behaviour (contradicted Phrenology, ex. bumps=injuries)
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