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Future University in Egypt

P S Y 101

Lecture (1)

Introduction to Psychology
Dr. Ali M. Salem
Dr. Yasmin EL- Amin
 Content of the course ( 14 weeks )
Topic
INTRODUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS
BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIOUR
SENSATION AND PERCEPTION
STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
MEMORY
LEARNING
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PERSONALITY
PERSONALITY DISORDERS

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 Student assessment methods

• 70% exams : 30% mid-term exam (week 7)

40% final exam ( week 14 )

• 30% :

Quiz 1 = 15 marks Highest

Makeup Quiz = 15 marks Mark

Assignments = 15 Marks

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 Overall aims of course
:

By the end of the course the student will be able to:

1. What is the science of psychology?
2. What are the major specialties in the field of psychology?
3. Where do psychologists work?
4. What are the origins of psychology?
5. What are the major approaches in contemporary psychology?
6. What are psychology’s key issues and controversies?
7. What is the future of psychology likely to hold?

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Monday, February 10, 2025
 Module 1: Psychologists at Work

• What is the science of psychology?

• What are the major specialties in the field of psychology?

• Where do psychologists work?

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 What is the science of psychology?

 The term psychology comes from the Greek roots

psyche meaning soul or mind
 Psychology is the Scientific study of behaviour and
mental processes

mental processes
Behaviour Mental processes are our internal
Behaviour is anything we do experiences
Overt actions and reactions Thoughts, feelings, memories…
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 PSYCHOLOGY

Mental pro-
Behavior
cesses
• The phrase behavior and mental processes in the
definition of psychology must be understood to
mean many things: It encompasses not just what
people do but also their

- thoughts,
- emotions,
-perceptions,
-reasoning processes,
memories,
- and even the biological activities
that maintain bodily functioning.
Psychology
as a science
deals sys-
tematically
with
 Psy-

p
chol-
ogy
04 Motives Human Behavior 01

05 Feelings Emotions 02

06 Actions 03
Thoughts
 13

Psychologists try to describe, predict,

and explain human behavior and
mental processes, as well as helping to
change and improve the lives of people
and the world in which they live.
Subfields of Psychology

Subfields are Psychology’s “Family Tree”

• although they may not interact on a day-to-day
basis, are related to one another, because they
share a common goal: understanding behavior.
• How to identify a subfield?
– Look at the basic questions about behavior that they
address. 15
Major Subfields of Psychology

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 The Subfields of Psychology
Psychology’s Family Tree
Separated by the basic questions about behavior that they
address.

1. Behavioral genetics: It studies the inheritance of traits related to

behavior.

2. Behavioral neuroscience : It examines the biological basis of behavior.

4. Experimental psychology: Psychologists who use experimental

methods to study how people react to sensory stimuli, perceive the world,
learn and remember, reason ….

5. Clinical psychology: It deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of

psychological disorders. 17
4. Cognitive psychology: It focuses on the study of higher
mental processes.

5. Personality psychology : It focuses on the consistency in

people’s behavior over time and the traits that differentiate one
person from another

6. Social psychology is the study of how people’s thoughts,

feelings, and actions are affected by others

7. Developmental Psychology: Studies how people grow and

change from the moment of conception through death

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 The Subfields of Psychology

• What are the biological foundations of behavior?

– Behavioral Neuroscience
– Examines how the brain and the nervous system determine behavior.

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 The Subfields of Psychology

• How Do People
– Sense
– Perceive
– Learn About
– Think About
– …the World?
Experimental Psychology

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 The Subfields of Psychology

• What Are the Sources of Change and Stability in Behavior Across the Life
Span?

• Developmental Psychology
– Studies how people grow and change from conception through death.

• Personality Psychology
– Focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior over time and the traits that differ from
person to person.
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 The Subfields of Psychology
• How Do Psychological Factors Affect Physical and Mental Health?
• Health Psychology
– Explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or
disease.
• Clinical Psychology
– Deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.
• Counseling Psychology
– Focuses primarily on educational, social, and career-adjustment problems.

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 The Subfields of Psychology

• How Do Our Social Networks Affect Behavior?

• Social Psychology
– Study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.

• Cross-Cultural Psychology
– Investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across
various cultures and ethnic groups.

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Study Alert
The different subfields of psychology allow psychologists to explain the
same behavior in multiple ways. Review.
Be sure you can differentiate between a PhD (doctor of philosophy) and a PsyD (doctor of
psychology), as well as between psychologists and psychiatrists.
1.At what age do children generally begin
EVALUATE: Match each to acquire an emotional attachment to
subfield of psychology with their fathers?
the issues or questions 2.What chemicals are released in the
posed below.
human body as a result of a stressful
A.behavioral
event?
neuroscience
3.What mental strategies are involved in
B. experimental
solving complex word problems?
psychology
4.What teaching methods most
C. cognitive psychology
effectively motivate elementary school
D.developmental
students to successfully accomplish
psychology
academic tasks?.
E.clinical psychology 5. HOW DO PEOPLE SENSE, PERCEIVE, LEARN, AND
 where psychologists work ? (US)

Psychologists are employed in a variety of settings. Although the

primary sites of employment are private practice and colleges, many
psychologists are found in hospitals, clinics, community mental health
centers, and counseling centers
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 MODULE 2: A Science Evolves

• The Past, the Present, and the Future

– What are the origins of psychology?
– What are the major approaches in contemporary psychology?
– What are psychology’s key issues and controversies?
– What is the future of psychology likely to hold?

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 A Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the
Future

• What are the origins of psychology? Wilhelm Wundt laid the

foundation of psychology in 1879, when he opened his laboratory in
Germany.
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Today’s Perspectives

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 The Neuroscience Perspective

• Neuroscience Perspective
– Considers how people and nonhumans function
biologically.
– Includes study of heredity, evolution, and behavioral
neuroscience.
– The neuroscience approach focuses on the biological
components of the behavior of people and animals.

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 The Psychodynamic Perspective

• Psychodynamic Perspective
– Behavior is motivated by inner forces and
conflicts.
– The psychodynamic perspective suggests that
powerful, unconscious inner forces and conflicts
about which people have little or no awareness
are the primary determinants of behavior

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 The Behavioral Perspective

• Behavioral Perspective
– John B. Watson
– B. F. Skinner
– Focuses on observable behavior that can be measured
objectively

The behavioral perspective deemphasizes internal processes and

concentrates instead on observable, measurable behavior, suggesting that
understanding and control of a person’s environment are sufficient to
fully explain and modify behavior. 31
 The Cognitive Perspective

• “Identifying the Roots of Understanding”

• Cognitive Perspective
– Focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world
• Information processing

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 The Humanistic Perspective:

• Humanistic Perspective
– Carl Rogers
– Abraham Maslow
– Emphasis is on “free will” not “determinism”
– Individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their
lives and behavior.

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 EVALUATE

“It is behavior that can be observed that should be studied, not the

suspected inner workings of the mind.” This statement was most

likely made by someone with which perspective?

a. cognitive perspective
b. neuroscience perspective
c. humanistic perspective
d. behavioral perspective
Psychology’s Key Issues and
Controversies

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Nature-Nurture debate

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 One of the oldest arguments in the history of psychology
 Each of these sides have good points that it's really hard to decide whether
a person's development is predisposed in his DNA, or a majority of it is
influenced by this life experiences and his environment.
 The biological processes (such as heredity or processes in the brain) affect
thoughts, feelings, and behaviour, but still experience leaves its mark, too.

So the current question is not whether nature or nurture shapes

human psychology but rather how nature and nurture combine to
do so. 37
 Other issues of controversy in psychology
• Conscious Vs. Unconscious Causes of Behavior
How much of our behavior is produced by forces of which we are fully aware, and how
much is due to unconscious activity—mental processes that are not accessible to the
conscious mind
• Observable Behavior Vs. Internal Mental Processes
Should psychology concentrate solely on behavior that can be seen by outside
observers, or should it focus on unseen thinking processes?
• Free Will Vs. Determinism
How much of our behavior is a matter of free will (choices made freely by an
individual), and how much is subject to determinism , the notion that behavior is
largely produced by factors beyond people’s willful control
• Individual Differences VS. Universal Principles
How much of our behavior is a consequence of our unique and special qualities,
and how much refl ects the culture and society in which we live? How much of 38our
behavior is universally human?
 EVALUATE
1. The view that behavior is largely produced by factors beyond
people’s willful control is known as …………………

2. In the nature-nurture issue, nature refers to heredity, and

nurture refers to the ………………………

3. Race is a biological concept, not a psychological one. True or

false?

1. determinism; 2. environment; 3. true

Key Issues and 5 Major Perspectives

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 Psychology’s Future

1. Psychology will become increasingly specialized and

new perspectives will evolve

2. Neuroscientific approaches will likely influence other

branches of psychology

3. Influence on issues of public interest will grow

4. Issues of diversity will become more important to

psychologists providing services and doing research
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Thanks!
Any questions?