Class notes
Psychology Notes - Lecture Notes For PSY 103
- Course
- PSY 103
- Institution
- State University Of New York - Stony Brook
Lecture notes for PSY 103
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General Notes:● Psychology is defined as the scientific study of the mind and behavior
● Studying psychology advances a person's critical thinking skills, which aid in evaluating
and interpreting information without bias
● psychology is a social science b/c no biological organism exists in isolation, and our
behavior is influenced by our interactions with others
● Psyche means soul
● ology: suffix that denotes “scientific study of”
● scientific theory
- is validated after observing consistent supporting evidence over time
Scientific Knowledge
● process of gathering knowledge via the scientific method depends on observable,
measurable empirical data.
● ideas (in the form of theories and hypotheses) are tested against the real world (in the
form of empirical observations), and those empirical observations lead to more ideas that
are tested against the real world, and so on.
Margaret Floy Washburn
● first woman to earn a PhD in psychology.
● research focused on animal behavior and cognition
Mary Whiton Calkins
● preeminent first-generation American psychologist
● opposed the behaviorist movement
● conducted significant research into memory
● established one of the earliest experimental psychology labs in the United States
Francis Sumner
● first African American to receive a PhD in psychology in 1920
● dissertation focused on issues related to psychoanalysis
● had research interests in racial bias and educational justice
● one of the founders of Howard University’s Department of psychology
● sometimes referred to as the “Father of Black Psychology.
Inez Beverly Prosser
● first African American woman to receive a PhD in psychology
● research highlighted issues related to education in segregated versus integrated schools
● work was very influential in the hallmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court
ruling that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional
History Of Psychology
● Philosophical interest in behavior and the mind dates back to the ancient civilizations of
Egypt, Greece, China, and India, but psychology as a discipline didn’t develop until the
mid-1800s
, ● late 1800s psychology became accepted as its own academic discipline, before that time
it was considered under the auspices (patronage and guidance) of philosophy
● What is Psychology?
- In general, science deals only with matter and energy (things that can be
measured), This is one reason why our scientific understanding of the mind is so
limited
- scientific method is a form of empiricism
Empirical Method
● method for acquiring knowledge based on observation, including experimentation, rather
than a method based only on forms of logical argument or previous authorities
Structuralism
● focused on understanding the conscious experience through introspection (examination or
observation of one's own mental and emotional processes)
● Wilhelm Wundt:
- studied perception
- school of psychology that focused on understanding consciousness through
introspection
- believed he could gain insight into how the brain works by asking subjects how
they feel, approach criticized for being unreliable and prone to bias
- known as the "father of psychology"
- credited with establishing the first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig,
Germany in 1879
- influenced by the field of chemistry
- believed that psychology should become a scientific-based discipline by
categorizing all conscious structures of psychological experiences, namely
sensations and perceptions
- argued that psychology is independent from philosophy
- believed that the conscious elements of the mind should be scientifically studied
and classified
● Edward Titchener
- focus on the contents of mental processes rather than their function
- proposing that the examination of the basic elements of sensations and thoughts
will allow psychologists to understand the makeup of the conscious experience
- subject matter of psychology is experience, dependent on the experiencing person
Sigmund Freud
● founded psychodynamic psychology
● focused on the unconsicous and childhood
● In his view, the unconscious mind was a repository of feelings and urges of which we
have no awareness.
, Erik Erikson
● followed the psychodynamic theory
Humanism
● emphasizes the potential for good that is innate to all humans
● Abraham Maslow
● Carl Rogers
Functionalism
● William James
- borrowed Darwin's ideas that mental processes evolve over time to aid the overall
survival of humans
- theories attempted to explain the function of consciousness rather than the
structure
- Saw psychology’s purpose as way to study the function of behavior in the world
- believed that introspection could serve as one means by which someone might
study mental activities (just like William Wudnt)
- relied on more objective measures, including the use of various recording devices,
and examinations of concrete products of mental activities and of anatomy and
physiology
- focused on examining the physiology of one’s behavior and other psychological
aspects of the mind
● focused on how mental activities helped an organism fit into its environment
● Influenced late 19th century/ early school of psychology
● focus on the operation of the entire mind instead of specific parts
● was influenced by Darwin's theory of natural selection and biologically how functions of
the mind evolved
Developmental Psychology
● includes a study on learning and conditioning, as it looks at these occurrences throughout
the lifespan
● Study of development across life, milestones, and what shapes the way we change over
time
● Two views of human development
- Continuity theories: development is continuous
- Stage theories (Discontinuous): distinct phase to intellectual and personality
development
● Theories:
- Sigmund Freud: Stages of psychsecual development
- Erikson Stages of Psychosocial Development
- Jean Piaget: Stages of cognitive development
- Lawrence Kohlberg: Stages of moral development
● Biological Development: Genetics
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