Understanding Psychology: Core Concepts

What is Psychology?

Etymology of Psychology

Greek: psyche (soul, spirit)

Greek: logos (study)

Definition of Psychology

Science that studies the behavior of individuals and their mental processes, including internal influences that occur within individuals and in their physical and social environment.

Importance of Psychology

It is important to understand the psychological aspects of oneself and others to adapt more appropriately to the environment, especially during college life and adulthood.

What are Psychological Processes?

Aspects of the psyche that enable people to perform various psychological actions and cognitive functions in daily life.

Perception

The mode in which the body and mind work so that we are aware and realize what is happening in our environment.

Memory

The capacity we have to store information that we can later use.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

To memorize things of the moment (e.g., a telephone number dialed at the time).

This prevents saturation as data rapidly disappears.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Stores data, sensations, and images for weeks, months, or years.

• Allows knowledge to be ordered so it can be easily retrieved.
• Necessary for the understanding and internalization of new knowledge.

Intelligence

Ability to understand, assimilate, develop information, and use it properly.

Ability to process information and is intimately linked to other mental functions such as perception and memory.

Factors Influencing Intelligence

• Hereditary (genes)
• Environmental (sociocultural environment)
• Biological (neurons and synapses)
• Education (improves it)
• Motivation (improves cognitive perception)
• Healthy Habits (healthy diet, sleep, avoiding drugs)

Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory

• This model does not view intelligence as a single, unitary capacity.
• Views intelligence as a set of multiple, separate, and independent intelligences.

Assumption

All humans possess the eight intelligences in varying degrees.

8 Types of Intelligence

• Linguistic intelligence
• Logical-mathematical intelligence
• Spatial intelligence
• Musical intelligence
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Naturalist intelligence

Sensation

Sensation is the primary brain processing source from our senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing.

Awareness

The ability to analyze and discern right from wrong.

Thought and Language

Attention

The ability to prioritize certain content in your mind over the rest.

Learning

The ability to acquire new knowledge, skills, and behaviors.

Types of Learning

• Social learning
• Vicarious learning
• Classical conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Habituation
• Awareness

Language

A communication system that allows for abstract concepts and communication.

More developed and specialized in humans than other animal species; it is physiological and psychological simultaneously.

Functions of Language

• Allows knowledge, experience, and culture to be transmitted from generation to generation.
• Important instrument for legitimizing the symbolic universe of every culture.
• Allows communication between people.

Types of Language

1. Body language
2. Non-body language
3. Oral language