Class notes

History and Research Methods on Developmental Psychology

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Course
PSYA01 (PSYB20)

Institution
University Of Toronto (U Of T )

Book
Developmental Psychology

This covers the basic history and research methods using in studying and researching the stages in development of babies and children, along with the theories surrounding how development begin and continues as one ages.

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Uploaded on September 15, 2021
Number of pages 8
Written in 2021/2022
Type Class notes
Professor(s) Dr. cirelli
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1.1 Intro: What is Psychology?
→ relatively recent field, less than 150 years
→ before, psychology was relegated to philosophy, theology + anatomy
→ psychology comes from ‘the study of the psyche/soul’
(psyche - ‘breath, spirit, soul’ + logia - ‘study of’)

1.1.1 Early Work in Psychology
→ 4th century B.C, Plato and Aristotle
- Aristotle wrote De Anima (On The Soul)
→ considers the nature of thought, sensation, + imagination
→ introduced ‘tabula rasa’ of blank slate (considers the mind a place to write about experiences on)
→ ‘The Complete Art of Medicine’ 10 A.D. by Holy Abbas
- One of the books to describe the neuroanatomy of the brain and discusses mental illnesses + treatments
→ focused on answering questions about the mind through behavioural evolution
→ considered a union of philosophy and physiology

1.1.2 Mind, Body, and Behaviour
→ much of what psychology is interested in is inherently unobservable
(the concept of ‘mind’, is entirely unobservable)
→ psychologists infer about what is happening in the mind
(using actions, words, response times, or brain activity)
Dualism → the relationship between the mind and behaviour
(philosophical position that the mind and body are separate)
→ people are ‘intuitive’ dualists (believing that we exist when even when apart from our physical bodies)
- Like how there is an afterlife for souls while our bodies stay here
→ Rene Descartes (1536 - 1650)
- ‘The mind is inherently immaterial’
- Explained that thought cannot be explained through the physical body + the mind influences the body
through the pineal gland
- Concept of ‘reflex’ (the body working without the mind)

1.2 What do Psychologists Do?
→ three primary areas of work within psychology
- Basic research - Application - Clinical work
(more than just one may be focused on in a career)

1.2.1 Basic Research in Psychology
→ attempt to understand the fundamental principles that govern behaviour and mind
- Done with healthy people
→ many researchers take advantage of online systems
→ most psychologists study a specific aspect of psychology
- Social interaction, memory, neuron interaction
→ 8 primary basic research areas
→ many psychologists identify with their specialty

, Abnormal → unusual + maladaptive behavioural, emotional, + thought patterns
Behavioural Genetics → linking individual differences in behaviour to genetic factors
Cognitive → mental processes + how people process information in general
Comparative → studying non-human animal behaviour; looking for commonalities w/ humans
Developmental → understanding how + why behaviour changes across the lifespan
Behavioural Neuroscience → linking behaviour patterns to physical components or activity in the brain
Personality → how + why people differ + how these differences influence behaviour
Social → how people understand themselves + others, and how they can be influenced

1.2.2 Applied Psychology
→ major focus: solving practical problems
- To resolve mental health issues
- Improve workplace efficiency
- Improve educational outcomes
→ can be divided into two primary areas:
- Research - Practice
→ Applied Research
- Done to discover a new or more effective way to solve specific problems
→ Applied Practice
- The actual application of techniques to the problems themselves
→ translational research - research that attempts to take basic findings and turn them into solutions for
practical problems (i.e., people remember info better over the long term if they have experience successfully
remembering the info, like a quiz.)
→ more practice-oriented fields require less formal training

Consumer Behaviour → understanding the decisions consumers make about products + services
Educational → improving learning in classroom + other educational settings
Forensic + Legal → applying psychological principles to features of the legal system
Human Factors → designing products/processes while improving the usefulness/comfort
Health → improving long-term physical health + healthcare w/ psychological principles
Industrial + Organizational → help organizations improve member performance, motivation + role-related
outcomes
Political → understand the role of psychology in political process + politics in psychology
School → use psychology to improve academic +social experiences of children

1.2.3 Clinical Psychology
clinical psychology → a form of applied psychology that focuses on identifying, preventing, and relieving
distress or dysfunction that is psychological in origin.
→ technically, clinical is another form of applied psychology
→ most dominant type of work occurring in psychology
→ clinical neuroscientists might work in hospital settings
- Working with doctors
- Work on medical procedures, such as chemotherapy

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