PSYCH 111General Psychology

Lesson Objectives

1. Define psychology and discuss the three major philosophical issues:
   1. free will vs. determinism
   2. dualism vs. monism (mind-brain problem)
   3. nature vs. nurture
2. Differentiate the various specialties in psychology:
   1. teaching and research (biopsychology, evolutionary psychology, learning and motivation, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology)
   2. clinical practice (clinical psychology vs. psychiatry, psychoanalysis, clinical social work, counseling psychology, forensic psychology)
   3. applied work in business, industry, school systems and other non-clinical settings (industrial/organizational psychology, ergonomics, school psychology)
3. Contrast the major eras of psychology, noting the contributions of influential figures:
   1. physiological roots (Wundt, Titchener, James, Darwin, Galton)
   2. behavioral roots (Watson)
   3. clinical roots (Freud)
   4. recent trends (e.g., new fields of application: health, sport, cross-cultural psychology)

Reading Assignment

Introduction to Psychology : Read chapter 1, section 1.1, The Goals of Psychologists.

The next section, entitled "Psychology Then and Now," gives you a very brief introduction to several viewpoints used by psychologists as they study the world. Before learning more about these approaches, it might be interesting for you to see what biases you bring to the course.

Complete Lesson 1 Personal Project "A Survey to Identify Your Bias in Psychology."