Psychology as a Science

Introduction

• Psychology is a science.
• Defined by the American Psychological Association as the study of mind and behavior.
• Encompasses all aspects of human experience.
• Initially relied on introspection and philosophical speculation.

Historical Overview

• Structuralism: Early school of thought, focused on the structure of the mind through introspection.
• Functionalism: Focused on the functions of the mind and its adaptive nature.
• Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud): Introduced the concept of the unconscious mind, early childhood experiences, dream analysis, and the structure of the mind (id, ego, superego).

Behaviorism

• Classical Conditioning (Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson):
  • Pavlov's experiment with dogs and salivation response.
  • Watson's experiment with Little Albert and fear conditioning.
• Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner):
  • Behavior adjustments through reinforcement and punishments.
  • Skinner boxes for animal experiments.
  • Focus on observable behaviors.

Humanism

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Pyramid from basic physiological needs to self-actualization.
• Carl Rogers' Client-Centered Therapy:
  • Emphasizes therapeutic relationship and client’s self-exploration.
  • Core components: unconditional positive regard, empathy, genuineness.

Cognitive Revolution

• Emerged in the 1950s, questioned behaviorism.
• Focused on mental processes using empirical methodologies.
• Noam Chomsky: Proposed innate mental structures for language.

Contemporary Psychology

• APA (American Psychological Association): Established in 1892 to advance psychological knowledge.
• APS (Association for Psychological Science): Focused on scientific orientation, established in 1988.
• Five Pillars of Psychology:
  • Biopsychology: Study of biological influences on behavior.
  • Evolutionary Psychology: Examines psychological traits as adaptations.
  • Cognitive Psychology: Study of mental processes.
  • Developmental Psychology: Study of development throughout the lifespan.
  • Social Psychology: Study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.

Research in Psychology

• Psychology uses the scientific method: formulating hypotheses, conducting experiments, analyzing results.
• Methods:
  • Clinical Case Studies: In-depth observation of individuals or small groups.
  • Naturalistic Observation: Observing behavior in natural settings.
  • Surveys: Collecting data from a large audience.
  • Archival Research: Analyzing existing data sets.
  • Longitudinal Research: Studying the same group over time.

Ethics in Research

• IRB (Institutional Review Board): Ensures ethical treatment of research participants.
• Historical case: Tuskegee Syphilis Study highlighted the need for ethical guidelines.

Important Concepts

• Correlation vs. Causation: Correlation does not imply causation.
• Research Variables:
  • Independent Variable: Manipulated by researchers.
  • Dependent Variable: Measured to assess the effect of the independent variable.
• Understanding of experimental group, control group, and confounding variables.