Contemporary Psychology - Lecture Notes

Learning Objectives

• Appreciate the diversity of interests and foci within psychology.
• Understand basic interests and applications in described areas of psychology.
• Demonstrate familiarity with major concepts and figures in psychology.

Overview of Contemporary Psychology

• Influenced by historical perspectives.
• Diversity reflected in the American Psychological Association (APA).
  • Largest psychology organization globally.
  • 54 divisions covering various specialties.
  • G. Stanley Hall: First president.
• Association for Psychological Science (APS) focuses on scientific orientation.
  • Founded due to disagreements within APA.
• Organizations for ethnic or racial groups in psychology: NLPA, AAPA, ABPsi, SIP.

Major Subdivisions in Psychology

Biopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology

• Biopsychology:
  • Studies how biology influences behavior via the nervous system.
  • Interdisciplinary approach (neuroscience).
• Evolutionary Psychology:
  • Studies ultimate biological causes of behavior.
  • Based on genetics and natural selection.
  • Challenges in proving genetic basis for behavior.

Sensation and Perception

• Interdisciplinary study of sensory input and perception.
• Influenced by focus, past experiences, and culture.

Cognitive Psychology

• Studies cognition or thoughts, their relations to experiences/actions.
• Broad scope; overlaps with cognitive science.
• Covers attention, problem-solving, language, memory.

Developmental Psychology

• Studies development across lifespan (physical, cognitive, moral, social changes).
• Focus from childhood to adulthood; increasing interest in later life stages.

Personality Psychology

• Focuses on personality traits and their interactions.
• Historical contributions from Freud, Maslow, Allport.
• Includes Big Five personality traits model.

Social Psychology

• Studies interactions and relationships with others.
• Research on obedience, prejudice, attraction, conflict resolution.
• Notable study: Stanley Milgram's obedience research.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

• Applies psychology in industrial/organizational settings.
• Deals with personnel management, organizational structure, workplace productivity.

Health Psychology

• Focuses on biopsychosocial model of health.
• Studies interaction of genetics, behavior, stress, and health.

Sport and Exercise Psychology

• Studies psychological aspects of sport performance.
• Covers motivation, anxiety, and mental wellbeing.

Clinical Psychology

• Focuses on diagnosing/treating psychological disorders.
• Influences from Freud, Rogers, cognitive-behavioral therapy.
• Often confused with general psychology in media.

Forensic Psychology

• Applies psychology within the justice system.
• Roles in competency assessments, sentencing, testimony evaluation.
• Involvement in jury selection and witness preparation.