2024 1.1 SCP Alternative history and pathways

Many believe that modern psychology has the wrong approach.

1. Study neurophysiology. 2. Build abstract models and simulations. 3. Use common language to describe internal events.

The 'outside' approach explains behavior by observing what is in a person's environments, including social, societal, and cultural factors.

What everyone draws can reflect common cultural themes, shared experiences, or individual perspectives influenced by social contexts.

There is an ignored social context present that is suggested to be important.

People perceive a triangle due to their experience or consciousness interpreting the visual information, demonstrating the concept of 'psycho-physical parallelism'.

Saying 'A triangle' is about your social environment, which was ignored by Gestaltists.

It implies a hallucination.

The social and cultural contexts, particularly the discursive, language, or conversational contexts.

The text questions whether we have looked hard enough and analyzed enough in psychology.

The 'inside' approach focuses on brain processes, cognitive processes, psychological states, or the mind.

They are commonly needed for employment in research jobs.

They believe that there is not enough in the world to explain what people do, and that it must be constructed in the head.

A contextual approach to understanding human behavior.

Qualitative methodologies.

Social context can shape responses, such as saying 'I see a triangle,' depending on the situation.

Psychology is the study of how we construct 'things' in the head.

This phrase prompts immediate observation and verbal expression of one's thoughts or perceptions.

The limitation is invoking 'internal' processes that cannot be observed when the reasons for someone's actions are unclear.

Psychologists like J.J. Gibson.

Current psychologies argue that we must construct a triangle somewhere in the brain, as what is in the environment is not a full triangle.

Learning the history of psychology enhances knowledge beyond textbooks and provides context for current psychological approaches.

Gestalt psychology criticized that behavior depends more on the environment than just being a 'stimulus' built from sensations.

Say out loud quickly what you see on the next slide.

People's perception of shapes, like a triangle, can be influenced by their environment and social contexts. The context in which they observe the shape can affect their interpretation and understanding, leading them to 'see' or 'experience' it differently based on cultural or situational factors.

It assumes that the experience is internal to the individual.

Behavior encompasses actions, talking, thinking, and feeling.

Seeing a triangle involves social use of language shaped by external contexts, rather than just a report of perception.

Contextual approaches are important as they help understand social, community, and societal behaviors, and they are used in fields like social anthropology, sociolinguistics, and sociology.

Study neurophysiology, which promises to provide answers.

The course will train participants to observe people's worlds or contexts more effectively.

There are two different uses of the word ‘see’: one as a direct perception and the other as a social report influenced by language and context.

Compete, cooperate, bond, bully, manage a self-image, share, agree, argue, distance, pay a salary, reciprocate, hedge, protect, help, go to work, complain, control, support, conflict, give, take, apologize, be polite, be rude, be humorous, entertain, distract, tell or act out stories, induce positive and negative emotions, show off, act humble.

99% of the time, the response is 'Fine thanks, how are you?' even if the person is not okay.

Use everyday language to describe internal events such as drives and feelings.

We perceive a triangle instead of just seeing 4 black lines.

It is questioned whether there is enough in the environment to represent a triangle or if we have not looked hard enough at all contexts.

The two main approaches in psychology are 'inside' and 'outside'.

Build abstract models and simulations of possible mental processes.

Skinner's contingency learning approach, while limited, includes the effects we have on our worlds and how those effects in turn affect us.

Get a pen and some paper ready.

The counterargument is that we have not looked hard enough and that there is much that is hidden, especially in the social world.

They proposed the idea of 'psycho-physical parallelism', suggesting that brain and senses work together with consciousness or experience.

The context of a doctor asking about someone's well-being, which shapes the response.

It is ignored in all questionnaire research.

A triangle

1. Inside the head (there is not enough in the environment to explain filling in the lines). 2. In the environment or the person’s world or field (there is plenty in the environment, you are not looking hard enough; hint: there are two behaviors).

They explain behaviors by considering what is in the person's worlds, including social, societal, economic, and cultural environments.

J.J. Gibson's approach of 'direct perception' suggests that we do not need to build a representation of the world in our heads; rather, the environment shapes what we do directly.

'I say a triangle' is much closer to the truth.

Social and community behaviors.

Gestalt psychology argues that behavior occurs in 'bigger units', rather than solely from sensations on the retina.

Discourse analysis examines how language and communication shape social interactions and perceptions, highlighting the context of these interactions.

It also assumes that the consciousness is internal to the individual.

Social contextual analysis focuses on understanding behaviors within their social contexts, emphasizing the interplay between individuals and their environments.

Roger Barker's approach emphasizes the importance of the environment or life world in shaping human behavior.

Participants will learn to ask good research questions about people's contexts.