Editor’s Introduction

---

 

Many students taking a psychology course for the first time may be asked the question: “What is psychology?” A very basic answer to this question is that psychology is the scientific study of behavior and cognitive processes. Although this definition appears simple enough, the science of psychological behavior may require a deeper level of understanding.

Psychology, as a whole, has several different perspectives (biological, behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, and humanistic, to name just a few). Each approach is unique and has its own set of viewpoints. These viewpoints help inform us how to think about and interpret human behavior. To be able to effectively unfold and analytically evaluate evidence to reach reasonable deductions, we must use critical thinking skills.

Critical thinking analyzes all possible explanations for outcomes and results and assesses how compatible they are. In other words, are the conclusions supported by the evidence? A psychologist’s or social scientist’s job is to analyze and evaluate the evidence and conclusions using critical thinking skills.

Once they analyze and evaluate behavior, thoughts, sensations, and emotions they then use theories to provide a framework to help understand these constructs better. Think about theory as an explanation of why and how a behavior happens. There are two important elements in psychological theory. First, it must describe a behavior. Secondly, it must make predictions about any future behaviors.

A Closer Look

On January 11, 1973, America got a glimpse of its first reality TV series. It was called An American Family. The show featured the Loud family from Santa Barbara, California, a middle-class family with its fair share of complexities and dysfunction.

The Loud family was considered an attractive, and privileged family. However, depicted on television were issues of infidelity, marital separation, divorce, homosexuality, and self-absorption. Pat and Bill Loud played Bill’s infidelity and eventual divorce out on television. The series also introduced the eldest son Lance, who was credited as being the first openly gay person on television. This reality television show captured the many different aspects of relationships, good and bad. It showed the family eating meals together, sharing holidays and vacations, filming home movies, and attending and graduating from school. There were also heated arguments, embarrassing moments, and internal conflict. American viewers were shocked, amused, and disturbed yet exhilarated by the weekly 60-minute, 12-episode program.

An American Family sparked debates that have lingered through the hundreds of reality series since. A social scientist would pose critical thinking questions that would evaluate “whether the people were really behaving naturally in front of the cameras? And were events edited in a way to make them more dramatic than they actually were” (Harrington, 1973). Anthropologist Margaret Mead stated in a TV Guide article that the show was “as new and significant as the invention of drama or the novel—a new way in which people can learn to look at life, by seeing the real life of others interpreted by the camera” (Harrington, 1973). Was her assessment accurate?

Today, according to Neilson, approximately 50 percent of the primetime television audience is tuned into a reality TV show (Shevenock, 2018). Psychologists researching reality television shows may theorize why and how cameras influence human behavior. In addition, they may design critical thinking questions to evaluate how viewers who watch reality television may be influenced by its cast members. We can use a relatively new theory called cultivation theory (Gerbner & Gross, 1976) to explain this phenomenon. Developed in 1973 by Dr. George Gerbner, “The primary tenet of cultivation theory supposes that television viewers who spend a disproportionate amount of time watching television begin to blend social reality with reality depicted on television” (p. 1 ).

Several studies confirmed previous research that showed that people who watched television more regularly demonstrated greater tendencies of being unhappy and isolated, feeling a sense of separation, having feelings of cynicism, and thinking that the world is a cruel and hateful place.(Robinson & Martin, 2008)(Madhav, Sherchand, & Sherchan, 2017)

This vignette gives us an inside peak into the world of psychology. We will use theory, critical thinking skills, and much more to explore human behavior and cognition in the remaining chapters in this book.

Reading Introduction

The first reading by Brannon et al., “What Is Psychology?” alludes to the perception of psychology as a soft science but illustrates its importance from a historical perspective. Brannon et al. describe the role of psychologist by explaining scientific principles, methods, and procedures that are used to help organize knowledge to predict human behavior. There is also an empirical understanding and definition of psychology that guides us through the chapter.

The second reading in this textbook, “History of Psychology” by Rose M. Spielman, provides a sterling overview of the historical nature of psychology. From the early roots of Wilhelm Wundt, known as the father of modern psychology, and his scientific study of consciousness, to what many first-year students find fascinating, which are the various careers in psychology, this chapter illuminates the enormous growth in the field.

References

Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1976). Living with television: The violence profile. Journal of Communication, 26(1) 172–199.

Harrington, S. (1973, January 7). An American family lives its life on TV. The New York Times, 19.

Shevenock, S. (2018, November 27). Reality is America’s least favorite TV genre—Yet people are still watching. Morning Consult. https://morningconsult.com/2018/11/27/reality-is-americas-least-favorite-tv-genre-yet-people-are-still-watching/

Madhav, K., Sherchand, S., & Sherchan. (2017). Association between screen time and depression among US adults. Pre Med Rep, 67-71.

Robinson, J., & Martin, S. (2008). What Do Happy People Do? . Social Indicators Research, 565-571.

Credit

Fig. 1.1: Copyright © 2017 Depositphotos/tethysimaging.