This will be a brief overview of the basics of Psychology 101. If you have any further or more detailed questions please feel free to ask me. If I don't know the answer I have no problem researching it as I love to learn as much as I can about this subject. All information was pulled from my notes/text book from Psychology 101 that I took a few years ago in my 1st year of college but will be reworded in my own words for an easier explanation of it all.. This is intended for the most basic introduction of psychology. If you've ever taken a psychology course before then this will most likely not be new information to you. I have left it without thorough explanations for a reason, for someone trying to test the waters in psychology it can be overwhelming and I was trying to prepare an intro guide that would be an easy read yet cover, in my opinion, the most important aspects.
Definition:
The proper definition is the following: the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a given context.
Basically what that means is psychology is focused on the thought process and how it applies to our daily lives and behavior.
The Founding Fathers:
There are many different aspects of Psychology with many different theories in each one. Each theory is usually known on the person(s) that first discovered or researched their area of interest. Some names you may know and some you may not but it's a good idea to always know which theory goes with which name.
Structuralism: Wilhelm Wundt, a German physician, is given credit for his advances in structuralism. He is known as the "father of experimental psychology". His main focus was breaking down the thought process to it's most simplistic ways.
Functionalism: Functionalism was a reaction to structuralism and was made popular by an American philosopher, William James. Functionalism focused on the practical value of psychology and how it could be used to benefit one's self.
Psychoanalysis: Perhaps the most famous ways of thinking in Psychology is psychoanalysis. This could be based off one of the leading psychologists for this theory, Sigmund Freud. Freud developed a method to investigate one's mind and the one one would think. He also developed psychotherapy to help treat psychological or emotional stress.
Behaviorism: John B. Watson established the behaviorism theory. It includes the two ways of conditioning, classical and operant.
Classical conditioning was when behavior was influenced by the association of environmental stimuli and the degree of pain/pleasure. One of the most well known example of classical conditioning is the case of Pavlov's dog.
Operant conditioning is a form of learning where an individual alters the circumstances to form new behaviors. One of the most famous experiments with operant conditioning would be John Watson's experiment with Little Albert causing him to fear all things fluffy and cute.
Brain Function and Anatomy:
The brain is seperated into 5 different regions, each designed to do specific tasks that correspond with other parts of the brain. The brain is also divided into two hemispheres that give two sides of the brain, the right and left hemisphere. They are joined together by the cerebral cortex, which is basically a bunch of transmitters that send information from one side to another.
Frontal Lobe:
The frontal lobe extends from right around your eye sockets to about half way up your head. It is where your thought processes happen. Your ability to concentrate, learn, and think is handled in this rather large portion of the brain. The frontal lobe also controls emotional responses and word associations.
Parietal Lobe:
Your parietal lobe lies directly behind your frontal lobe. This part of the brain controls your visual attention, touch perception, voluntary movements, and integrating several senses to understand a single concept.
Temporal Lobe:
The temporal lobe is directly underneath the frontal and parietal lobe. This is where your memories are processed and stored. Long term memory, some visual perceptions, visual memory, and sense of identity are just a few of the things handled in the temporal lobe.
Occipital Lobe:
The occipital lobe is located in the very back of the brain. Funny enough though, the occipital lobe is the lobe responsible for vision.
Brain Stem/Cerebellum:
Considered one of the oldest parts of the brain. This part of the brain is located right above your neck and right under the the brain itself. It it two seperate parts but are usually classified as a unit. The brain stem controls involuntary movements such as breathing, heart rate, swallowing, and reflexes. The cerebellum is responsible for motor control and some cognitive functions such as language and association.
That's it for now! Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope that you enjoy this guide!
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