Heads Up Psychology

162 Pages·2014·29.31 MB·English

by  Marcus Weeks

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WRITTEN BY
MARCUS WEEKS
CONSULTANT
DR. JOHN MILDINHALL
06 What is PSYCHOLOGY?
08 What do PSYCHOLOGISTS DO?
10 Research METHODS
s
What makes What does my
t
me TICK? BRAIN do?
n
14 Who needs PARENTS, 38 Is your MIND different
anyway? from your BRAIN?
16 Can’t you just GROW UP? 40 What goes on in
e
your BRAIN?
18 Can you be MOLDED?
42 What can BRAIN
t 20 You don’t need
DAMAGE tell us?
no EDUCATION
n 44 Biography: SANTIAGO
22 Biography:
RAMÓN Y CAJAL
IVAN PAVLOV
46 What is CONSCIOUSNESS?
24 Live and LEARN
o
48 Biography: VILANAYUR
26 Why did you BEHAVE
RAMACHANDRAN
like that?
C 50 DREAM on…
28 Do you know what’s
RIGHT AND WRONG? 52 Biological psychology
in the REAL WORLD
30 Biography:
MARY AINSWORTH
32 Is it never too LATE?
34 Developmental psychology
in the REAL WORLD
How does my What makes Where do
MIND work? me UNIQUE? I FIT IN?
56 What is KNOWLEDGE? 84 What makes you 120 Would you follow
so SPECIAL? the CROWD?
58 Decisions, decisions,
DECISIONS 86 What are you LIKE? 122 Why do GOOD people
do BAD things?
60 Why do you 88 Biography:
REMEMBER stuff? GORDON ALLPORT 124 Don’t be so SELFISH!
62 Biography: 90 So you think 126 Biography:
ELIZABETH LOFTUS you’re SMART? SOLOMON ASCH
64 How are memories 92 Why are you so MOODY? 128 ATTITUDE problem?
STORED?
94 What MOTIVATES you? 130 The power of PERSUASION
66 Don’t TRUST your memory
96 Do PERSONALITIES change? 132 What makes you ANGRY?
68 Information OVERLOAD?
98 Feeling DOWN? 134 Biography:
70 Biography: STANLEY MILGRAM
100 What makes an ADDICT?
DONALD BROADBENT
136 Are you in the IN CROWD?
102 Biography:
72 Watch your LANGUAGE!
SIGMUND FREUD 138 What makes a
74 Are you FOOLING yourself? WINNING team?
104 What is NORMAL?
76 How do you make 140 Can you PERFORM
106 Are you INSANE?
SENSE of the world? under PRESSURE?
108 Is anyone really EVIL?
78 Don’t BELIEVE your EYES 142 Do GUYS think like GIRLS?
110 It’s good to TALK
80 Cognitive psychology 144 Why do people fall in LOVE?
in the REAL WORLD 112 Is therapy the ANSWER?
146 Social psychology
in the REAL WORLD
114 Don’t worry, be HAPPY!
116 Psychology of difference
in the REAL WORLD
148 Directory of psychologists
152 Glossary
156 Index and acknowledgments
6
What is psychology?
What is PSYCHOLOGY?
PEOPLE ARE ENDLESSLY FASCINATING. THE CLOSER YOU LOOK, THE MORE
COMPLICATED THEY BECOME. PSYCHOLOGY IS A SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE THAT
IS DEVOTED TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT MAKES US WHO WE ARE. BY STUDYING
OUR MINDS AND OUR BEHAVIOR, IT SEEKS TO UNRAVEL THE IMMENSE, RICH
COMPLEXITY OF BEING HUMAN.
Think of the last time you took a bus or a train. Did you notice anyone else there? Did you strike up
a conversation with a fellow passenger? If so, is that because you are naturally outgoing, or was
there something particular to that situation that made you speak? You may have wondered why
you behave as you do. It is this curiosity about how people behave that drives psychologists, and
they ask such questions all the time. Psychology is the study of human behavior and the mind.
But what is the mind? It appears in our everyday speech: I don’t mind, I’ve changed my mind.
The mind is not a physical thing, however, and it is not the same as the brain. It is a conceptual
mechanism with a set of abilities or functions. It doesn’t matter that we cannot see it, nor can
we take it apart to see how it works. Psychologists try to imagine a way that it could possibly work,
7
Introduction
and watch people to see if their behavior is consistent with that way of working. But people
are difficult to study. The more you try to observe them, the more they change their behavior.
Even so, huge advances have been made in our understanding of things such as how we form
memories, make mistakes, interpret what we see, and communicate with other people.
This has allowed us, in turn, to become better teachers, create a fairer justice system, build
safer machines, treat mental disorders, and make many other advances. The journey toward
understanding mind and behavior has taken about 140 years so far, but really we are just starting
out. Every day, psychologists uncover new and surprising aspects of human behavior, but there
is a long way to go before we can say that we truly understand the mind.
8
What do psychologists do?
What do
PSYCHOLOGISTS DO?
Social psychologists are By conducting carefully Also known as neuro-
interested in how people designed experiments, or biopsychologists,
behave when they are cognitive psychologists biological psychologists
together. They study seek to define the use scanners and other
human interaction, mechanisms—such as high-tech equipment to
communication, memory—that make up study the brain and learn
attitudes, friendship, our mind and allow us about the biological
love, and conflict. to behave as we do. basis of behavior.
ACADEMIC
Social Cognitive Biological
PSYCHOLOGISTS psychologist psychologist psychologist
Often based in Using therapy, clinical
hospitals, clinical neuropsychologists can
psychologists use a help people who have
variety of therapies to suffered from brain
help people cope with disease or injury regain
mental disorders such the abilities they lost
as depression or as a result of this
schizophrenia. brain damage.
MEDICAL
Clinical Clinical
PSYCHOLOGISTS psychologist neuropsychologist
How can a company Using psychological
get the most out of its research techniques,
workers? Organizational user experience (UX)
psychologists work in researchers and
the business world and designers create
help make people more websites and programs
efficient and happier that are indispensable,
at their jobs. engaging, and intuitive.
APPLIED
Organizational User experience
PSYCHOLOGISTS psychologist researcher/designer