PL 1101E.

Introduction to Psychology
Overall Coordinator: RP/tutorial coordinator: Dr Cha Yeow Siah (psycys) Ms. Susheel Kaur (psyks)

Required text: Passer, Smith, Holt, Bremner, Sutherland and Vliek (2009). Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour (~ $45)

Things you need to know about this module

Read the IVLE site for syllabus, FAQ, assessment syllabus FAQ information and announcement Lecture notes and tutorial questions will be q uploaded on the workbin Tutorial: 2-hr fortnightly tutorial (Total 5 tutorials) Assessment

CA1: Midterm Quiz (28 Feb) - 20% CA2: Essay Assignment (4 Mar, 5pm) 30% ay g ( a , 5p ) Final Exam (closed book) 50%

Online forum: Post your questions there

Things you need to know about g y the course

Participate in the Research Participation (RP) Program To pursue a major in Psychology, you must Psychology attain a minimal grade of B- for this module and for PL2131. Coverage during lecture may not be comprehensive, but note that everything found in the chapters included in the syllabus may be tested.

Lecture 1 Introduction L t 1: I t d ti

Historical overview Six major perspectives in modern psychology 30 minutes video on Discovering Psychology

What i Wh is psychology? h l ?

Psychology is the study of behaviors and mental processes by employing scientific methods to describe, explain, predict and control behaviors. Scientific method requires us to:

Develop a research question from theory, observation l h f h b and past experiences. Formulate a hypothesis that can be tested Design D i a study ( t d (experiment, correlational, observation, i t l ti l b ti survey, etc) Gather data, analyze and draw conclusions from results. Report, Report publish and replicate the results

A brief history o psyc o ogy b e sto y of psychology

Different schools of thought from late 1800s to 1950s:

Structuralism (Wilhelm Wundt) Functionalism (William James) Psychoanalysis (Sigmund Freud) Behaviorism (John Watson/Pavlov/BF Skinner)

Six major perspectives in modern p y psychology gy

Biological Bi l i l perspective ti Psychodynamic perspective Behavioral pe specti e Beha io al perspective Cognitive perspective Evolutionary perspective Sociocultural perspective Humanistic perspective

John B Watson (1924):

Give me a dozen healthy infants, wellformed, formed and my own specialized world to bring them up in and Ill guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might b f l h select doctor, lawyer, artist, merchantchief, chief and yes, even beggarman and yes thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of hi ancestors. ti d f his t

Six Si major perspectives (approaches) in j ti ( h )i modern psychology:

Behavioral perspective

A mechanistic view of human nature in nature, terms of how behavior is shaped by ones environment (e.g., thru rewards/penalty). Focuses on observable behaviors behaviors. Behavior is directed by forces within us that are often hidden or unconscious.

Psychodynamic perspective

Co d Contd Six major perspectives (approaches) in modern psychology:

Biological Perspective

Focuses on how behaviors are subjected to j the influence of hereditary factors, hormones and nervous system. Focuses on understanding the mental process. Behaviors can be better understood if we understand how information is processed, and how we represent them within us.

Cognitive Perspective C iti P ti

Co d Contd Six major perspectives (approaches) in modern psychology:

Humanistic perspective

Behaviors are guided by needs for personal growth. Emphasizes free will as essential part of human experience. Focuses on positive qualities of people and form the basis f th Positive P h l b i for the P iti Psychology movement. t

Socio-cultural perspective

Our behavior should be understood from the larger social and cultural context.