Random Psych

Psychology - scientific study of behavior and mental processes (mind)

Clinical Psychology - The study and treatment of mental disorders

Cognitive psychology - study of mental processes, especially from a model that views the mind as an information processor.

Empirical evidence - evidence gained through experimentation or observation by manipulating things

Lecture 1:

Why study history?

Not to repeat mistakes - nuclear weapons, flat earth etc

Give credit where its due, pavlov and his dog

Acknowledge assumptions

Assumptions:

Materialism - we can explain everything through physical processes

Reductionism - We can explain complex things through simpler things

Advantages of each - Materialism offers simple explanations while reductionism provides useful intervention

Disadvantages - Materialism is too simplistic and Reductionism can't simplify everything (quantum mechanics)

History and where Psychology came from

1100 - Germany's process of medicine involved the use of astrology. Depending on a month people believed certain body parts bled less.

Greece

Psychology came from 2 words. Pysche - soul/breath and Logos - word or reason which evolved into "ology"

Questions within Greece - What is body/mind? Are we born with all intelligence (we can figure things out)? or is it Logic/interpretation (reasoning things within our mind)

Aristotle - Stated knowledge can only be gained through observation and experiments which is used in modern day science

Descarates: Mind and Body interacted

The Dark Ages:

Knowledge - Is said to have two parts associated with it. Faith/Bible and Aristotle's values

Faith/Bible - deductive (God stated X so we do Y and Z)

Aristotle - Observations and experiments are necessary for it to be true science

Sir Thomas - Merged Christian and Greek thought together

Roger Bacon - Started western science (reintroduced Aristotle's ideas of observation and experiments)

Muslim Influence: Kept and recorded Greek knowledge and...