UNIT 2 - History & Approaches
What is Psychology?
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Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental process
Scientific?
– Not just common sense or guesses
– Psychology uses the scientific method
– Scientific Method: careful observations and the experimental testing of hypothesis
Behavior – what people do on the outside
Mental Processes – Thinking - we call this cognition.
Psychology includes the study of both humans and animals
An Educator’s Story
A Life of Learning
From a young age, Mrs. Anderson's Psychology Class Website was already on the path to being a professional academic. Their ceaseless curiosity, dedication to hard work and desire to share knowledge paved the way for an impressive educational background and notable career in academia. Mrs. Anderson's Psychology Class Website is well-known for their challenging yet inspiring courses and their captivating published work.
Daily Agenda
Unit 2: History & Approaches 2 - 4% of AP Exam
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Agenda
Week 2: January 28-February 1
Monday: Cognition Stations
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
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Unit Goals:
Check the box when you have mastered the goal. This will help you when you study for the unit assessment, AP exam, and complete the left hand side letter to yourself.
Recognize how philosophical and physiological perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.
Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years;
Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later;
evolutionary, biological, cognitive, and biopsychosocial as more contemporary approaches.
Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
Distinguish the different domains of psychology (biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational, experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality, psychometric, social).
Identify major historical figures in psychology (Mary Whiton Calkins, Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B.F. Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn, John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt) .
Unit Overview:
Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a discipline in 1879 . There have been significant changes in the theories that psychologists use to explain behavior and mental processes. In addition, the methodology of psychological research has expanded to include a diversity of approaches to data gathering. Psychology is an empirical discipline. Psychologists develop knowledge by doing research. Research provides guidance for psychologists who develop theories to explain behavior and who apply theories to solve problems in behavior .​