Posobie_po_anglyskomu_yazyku

Reading

1. Read the text and express in your own words the main idea of the text.

PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

Psychology is one of the most rapidly developing social sciences, touching almost every aspect of our lives. It has as its principal focus the individual human being, with special emphasis on the inner life, the personality, the patterns of thought, consciousness and behaviour of the person. Society, which has become more complex, is turning more and more to psychology to answer some of the serious human problems. The public is already convinced of the benefits of using psychological findings in solving such problems as mental illness, human factors in space exploration, as well as in helping persons become more self-actualizing.

As a branch of science it has been defined in various ways, according to the particular method of approach adopted or field of study proposed by the individual psychologist. But a comprehensive definition, that represents aspects of the original and historical meaning of the word, would run as follows. Psychology is the branch of biological science, which studies the phenomena of conscious life and behaviour, in their origin, development, and manifestation, and employing such methods as are available and applicable to the particular field of study or particular problem with which the individual scientist is engaged.

Psychologists are concerned with a wide variety of problems. Some are of broad concern: what child-rearing methods produce happy and effective adults; how can mental illnesses be prevented, and the like. Others are more specific: How can people be persuaded to give up smoking? What is the most effective method for teaching children to read? What area of the brain controls speech?

Just as there are different ways of describing any act of behaviour, there are also different approaches to psychology. The view that behaviour should be the sole subject-matter of this science was claimed by the psychologist John B.Watson in the early 1900s.This view focuses on the observable behaviours of man; that is, those factors that influence him in his environment and his reactions to these forces. He was one of the founders of the school of behaviorism.

Another approach to the study of man is psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud. Freud concluded that personality and our degrees of mental health depend on the actions of three major forces: the id – our unconscious instincts, the ego – our conscious self or intellect – and superego, the conditional reflexes of social rules and internalized values.

The humanistic school view is that man becomes what he makes of himself by his own actions and thoughts. It is concerned with the topics having little place in existing theories and systems: e.g. love, creativity, self-actualization, higher values, humour, affection, courage and so on.

Russian psychology was linked with the development of research into psychophysiology in the works of I.Pavlov, V.Bekhterev, L.Orbeli and others. Present-day psychology is a complex and differentiated research system extending throughout general, social, developmental, pedagogical, child, medical, engineering psychology.

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Because psychology affects so many aspects of our lives it is important, even for those who do not intend to specialize in the field, to know something about its basic facts and research methods.

2.Use the information in the text to find answers to the following questions.

1.What is the definition of psychology?

2.What is the subject-matter of psychology as a science?

3.What kinds of problems is psychology concerned with?

4.What are the approaches described?

5.Could you give the names of noted psychologists?

6.Why is psychology complex and differentiated research system now?

7.Is it important to learn psychology?

3.Give the title to each paragraph. Find the basic sentence in each paragraph of the text.

4.Tell about psychology as a science to a person who is interested in learning it. Use the following plan.

1.Social demand for psychology.

2.The subject-matter of psychology.

3.Definition of psychology.

4.Psychological problems considered.

5.Find the information about the leading schools in psychology:

school of behaviourism, psychoanalysis and humanistic school following the plan given below.

1.Founder(s).

2.Main principles.

3.The engine of human behaviour.

4.Main representatives.

Are you the follower or the opponent of this school? Give reasons to prove your point of view.

Vocabulary practice

1. Find the equivalents in the text.

Психологи занимаются; широкий круг проблем; предотвратить заболевание; и тому подобное; предмет психологии; влиять на что-нибудь; другой подход к изучению; современная психология.

2.Match the words with a similar meaning.

a)Aim, aware, persuade, diverse, influence, research.

b)Convince, affect, purpose, various, conscious, investigation.

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3. Fill in the table of derivatives.

4. Match the meaning with the word.

Discussion

Introduction

Psychology as a science is mainly concerned with the study of the behavior of humans in their interaction with the environment. Not knowing the way to integrate into the society may lead to the numerous stresses, depression and the feeling of loneliness.

1.Discuss in groups of four the following questions.

1.How can the knowledge of psychology help us in our everyday life?

2.What can psychology be used for?

Give your arguments and illustrate them with the examples from real life.

2.Find additional information in the Internet and prepare a talk on one of the following topics:

1.The importance of psychology for people.

2.Freud's contribution into the theory of consciousness.

3.Gestalt psychology.

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3.Choose the appropriate phrases to complete the dialog.

1.“What are you doing Thursday night?

2.“Have you got anything to do tomorrow night?

3.“Will it be all right for you if I call you up at six?”

4.Make up similar dialogs.

Homework

1.What are the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations?

Личность, внутренний мир, психоанализ, психофизиология, психическое

расстройство, психическое здоровье, подсознательные инстинкты, самосознание, самоактуализация, условные рефлексы.

2.Translate these sentences using words and word expressions from Task 1 and mind the grammar of the lesson.

1.Фрейд считал, что структура личности имеет три составляющие: «Оно», «Я», и «Сверх-Я».

2.Внутренний мир этого человека – богат и разнообразен.

3.Известно, что психоанализ содержит систему идей и методов диагностики и лечения различный психический расстройств.

4.Психофизиология занимается изучением связей между психологическими явлениями и физиологическими процессами в организме.

5.Самоактуализация – стремление личности к самосовершенствованию.

6.На конференции говорилось о том, что необходимо поддерживать психическое здоровье детей.

7.Вчера мы узнали, что подсознательный инстинкт и условный рефлекс – основные понятия психологии.

3.Make up sentences using these groups of phrases in one sentence.

Example: Forensic psychology, to be, specialized branch. Forensic psychology is a specialized branch of psychology.

1.Psychotherapist, to specialize in, psychoanalysis.

2.Subject-matter, research, self-actualization.

3.Mental health, to depend on, environment.

4.Psychological findings, solve a problem, human factor.

5.Psychology, be concerned with, child-rearing methods.

6.To prevent, mental illness.

7.To influence on, behaviour, human being.

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4. Read the text written and give a 2-minute summary of it.

ACTIVE AGENT AND/OR PASSIVE VICTIM

The three major psychological views of man – the behaviouristic, the psychoanalytic, and the humanistic – differ most importantly on the issue of whether man is to be conceived primarily as passive or active. These two positions are often referred to as the “pull” and “push” theories of motivation. The pull theory finds most of man’s motivation in the environment, in external forces such as rewards and punishments; the push theory finds most of man’s motivation from within the individual, in internal forces represented by urges and growth tendencies. All three viewpoints recognize that man is both an active agent and a passive victim of motivational forces. The key difference is how man is seen primarily. If placed on a continuum from passivity to activity, the order of the three viewpoints would be behaviourism, psychoanalysis, and humanism. In the humanistic model there is a wholehearted (искренний) belief that we will learn far more about man if we view him as an active agent rather than as a passive victim of external forces. The other two models of man, however, are gradually placing more emphasis on the importance of man as the single most important determiner of his behaviour in order to explain how so much of human behaviour is initiated by man.

5.Make up 6 wh-questions on the text “Active agent and/or passive victim’; make sure that you can answer them.

6.Using the material of the lesson express your opinion on one of the following themes.

1.Man is an active agent in his own development.

2.Child’s intellectual potential is determined biologically.

LESSON 11. HOW DOES PSYCHOLOGY STUDY THINGS?

Brainstorming activity

Discuss the following question and give all the possible answers to it.

What methods of gathering scientific information do you know?

Why is testing the most widespread method of research in psychology?

Active vocabulary

Listen and pronounce the active vocabulary of the lesson after the teacher.

Lead-in

1. Using your background knowledge about methods of research in psychology agree or disagree with the following statements.

Peculiarity of the science, to reveal general (specific) psychological properties and capabilities, unique psychological phenomena, difficult to measure, findings about senses, feelings, emotional experience, images, thoughts and etc.

1.All methods of research are of equal validity and reliability.

2.Psychology as a science requires special methods of research.

3.Methods of research used in mathematics and other exact sciences can not be applied in psychology.

4.Choice of method of research fully depends upon the investigated problem.

2.Try to develop the idea given. Agree or disagree with the following quotation. Give your arguments.

“The psychological observer ought to be more agile (проворный, расторопный)

than the tightrope dancer in order to be able to insinuate (проникать) himself under the skin of other people.” Soren Kierkegaard.

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Grammar: Indirect Speech.

1.Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech.

1.The scientific advisor said to me: “Psychologists conduct their research using a variety of methods”.

2.The lecturer said: “As a discipline, psychology is growing in size”.

3.He said: “Psychologists have devised numerous ways to test their hypotheses and theories”.

4.She told us: “Advances in technology in the early 1970s allowed psychologists to see inside the living human brain for the first time without physically cutting into it”.

5.Our teacher of psychology said: “Frustration and aggression are positively correlated, meaning that as frustration rises, so do acts of aggression”.

6.Psychologists said: “Animal studies have contributed to the treatment of people’s anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders”.

7.Many ancient societies thought: “Mental illness results from supernatural causes, such as the anger of gods or possession by evil spirits”.

8.The teacher said: “Darwin had based his theory on plants and nonhuman animals, but he later asserted that people had evolved through similar processes, and that human anatomy and behavior could be analyzed in the same way”.

9.He told us: “Psychology professors will often combine teaching, research, and counseling”.

10.She said: “To become a psychologist, a person must attend graduate school and obtain either a master’s degree or a doctoral degree”.

2.Change the sentences into Indirect Speech.

1.The American Psychological Association recommended to researchers: “Tell prospective subjects what they will experience and instruct subjects that they may withdraw from the study at any time”.

2.He said: “Offer you own way of treatment for this mental illness”.

3.Most researchers said: “Follow strict ethical guidelines to minimize pain and discomfort to animals”.

4.The teacher said: “Classify mental illnesses, please.”

5.She said; “Have a rest and taste yourself with some wine”.

6.The clinician said: “Determine whether the patient is suffering from a mental illness and, if so, make a diagnosis”.

7.She said: “Don’t use drug therapy to treat this mental illness”.

8.He asked: “Keep the subjects’ responses and behaviors confidential”.

9.The scientific advisor said: “Conduct research directed at understanding and preventing causes of the disease”.

10.She said: “Do not take any notes of the lecture. This information is not reliable”.

3.Change the sentences into Indirect Speech.

1.She asked: “How do body and mind interact?”

2.I asked: “Are body and mind fundamentally different parts of a human being, or are they one and the same, interconnected in important ways?”

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3.The teacher asked: “Could you draw the distinction between a normal personality and a personality disorder?”

4.He asked: “What mental diseases may include symptoms of impulsive behavior?”

5.I asked him: “When did the modern era of psychiatry begin?”

6.The doctor asked: “Have you been sleeping less than normal?”

7.He asked me: “Are you being distracted now?”

8.The lecturer asked the student: “Will kinds of cognitive problems actually cause mental illness or merely represent symptoms of the illnesses themselves?”

9.He was asked: “Have you ever treated people with mental illnesses with the help of drug therapy and psychotherapy?

Reading

1. Read the text and express in your own words the main idea of the text.

METHODS OF RESEARCH

One way to learn about people is through archival studies, an examination of existing records of human activities. Psychological researchers often examine old newspaper stories, medical records, birth certificates, crime reports, popular books, and artwork. They may also examine statistical trends of the past, such as crime rates, birth rates, marriage and divorce rates, and employment rates. The strength of such measures is that by observing people only secondhand, researchers cannot influence the subjects by their presence.

Sometimes psychologists interview, test, observe, and investigate the backgrounds of specific individuals in detail. Such case studies are conducted when researchers believe that an in-depth look at one individual will reveal something important about people in general. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget first began to formulate a theory of intellectual development by questioning his own children. Neuroscientists learn about how the human brain works by testing patients who have suffered brain damage. Cognitive psychologists learn about human intelligence by studying child prodigies and other gifted individuals. Social psychologists learn about group decision-making by analyzing the policy decisions of government and business groups.

In naturalistic observation, the researcher observes people as they behave in the real world. The researcher simply records what occurs and does not intervene in the situation. Psychologists use naturalistic observation to study the interactions between parents and children, doctors and patients, police and citizens, managers and workers.

In an experiment, the psychologist manipulates one factor in a situation –keeping other aspects of the situation constant and then observes the effect of the manipulation on behavior. The people whose behavior is being observed are the subjects of the experiment. The factor that an experimenter varies (the proposed cause) is known as the independent variable, and the behavior being measured (the proposed effect) is called the dependent variable. In a test of the hypothesis that frustration triggers aggression, frustration would be the independent variable, and aggression the dependent variable.

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