School of Economics, FDU, Winter School (2022)

Psychology and Life: A Cross-cultural Perspectives

Introduction

Department of Psychology,
School of Social Development and Public Policy,
Fudan University
GAO Jun Ph.D., associate professor
 Who am I?
• GAO, Jun
– Associate Professor in Dept. Psychology, SSDPP, FDU
– A clinical psychologist and licensed psychological counselor & supervisor of Chinese
Psychological Society & Chinese Mental Health Association
• Educational Background
– B.S. in Psychology, Peking University
– Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Peking University
• Major research interest
– Self-conscious emotions and emotion regulation
– Empathy and its application in clinical and medical settings
– Hypnosis: efficacy, ethnical issues and cultural factors
 Who am I?
• Email: gaojun82@[Link]
• TA
– 何叶 , Miss HE Ye
– 汪丽莹， Miss WANG Li-ying
– 王若辰， Miss WANG Ruo-chen
– 王雨婷 , Miss WANG Yu-ting
– The syllabus of this course can be found on the e-learning platform
in URP @ Fudan
 Today’s OUTLINE
• An introduction to the course: basic information &
requirements
• A brief look at Psychology as a scientific discipline: goals,
scopes, “then” and “now”
– What is psychology (how it is different from philosophy or biology or
sociology)?
– What are goals of modern psychology?
– What are major theoretical perspectives in psychology (why do we
need so many of them) ？
 Welcome to embark on this unique journey of
UNDERSTANDING
 Prepare for your own ticket FIRST
 Your name and student number
 Write down 3 words that appear in your mind
when you think of the word PSYCHOLOGY
 Write down 1 academic and 1 personal goals you
want to achieve by taking this course
Rate your major interest in the field:
“Knowledge/Researcher” vs. “
Application/Practitioner”
Rate how “scientific” psychology is (1-5)
5
 Welcome to embark on this unique
journey of UNDERSTANDING
Thank you for your participation
 Question1: why did we do what we did?
 Question2: how did we do what we did?
 Question3: how well did we do what we did?

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INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE: BASIC
INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS
 An introduction to the course
• Textbook & Reference
– Richard [Link] . Psychology and Life (20th edtion) : the
electronic copy of the textbook can be downloaded from the
eLearning website of this course & only for your personal use for
this course
– J. W. Berry [Link]., Cross-Cultural Psychology (3rd edition). Cambridge University
Press, 2015
– Roger R. Hock. Forty Studies that Changed Psychology (5th edition). Post &
Telecom Press, 2010. (English edition) 人民邮电出版社， 2010 年 1 月第一版 / 罗杰 ·R· 霍克
著 . 白学军 等译 . 改变心理学的 40 项研究（第七版） . 中国人民大学出版社， 2015 年 9 月第一版
– The website of American Psychological Association: [Link]
 An introduction to the course
• Reading materials
– Supplementary readings of each topic (1 or 2 articles) can be
downloaded from the e-learning platform
– You can also check relevant materials from online resources
• [Link].
• EBSCO-PsycArticles
 An introduction to the course
• Teamwork groups
– You are required to form a teamwork group for this course
– Size: 5-6 persons
– Functions: group discussions in/after classes; social support in/after
classes; final group project (25%)
• Find your members and form the group before Thursday
(12.22.2022)
 Learning Objectives
• 5 learning goals (APA, 2013)
– Advocated by APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major-version
2.0
– You can found more detailed descriptions of these goals in Syllables
1. Knowledge Base in Psychology
2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking
3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World
4. Communication
5. Professional Development
 Good or Evil:
“Facial Recognition Technology”
 Learning Goals for Introduction
Learning goals How to achieve these goals How to assess the outcome
1. Knowledge base in psychology  Attend lectures  Quiz (online quiz & textbook)
 The definition of modern psychology  Read & review the textbook & slides  Q&A in class
 Four goals of modern psychology  Participate in group discussions  Feedback from TA & teacher
 Seven contemporary perspectives in psychology: leading scholars,  Support from TA & teacher
basic theoretical assumptions on motivation & behaviors
2. Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking  Attend lectures  Q&A in class
 How do you define science & do you consider psychology as a  Read & review the textbook & slides  Reflective questions
science?  Read extracurricular materials and answer reflective  Feedback from TA & teacher
 Try to compare different perspectives in psychology by analyzing questions
certain behaviors in your daily life using different perspectives  Participate in group discussions
 Support from TA & teacher
3. Ethical and Social Responsibility in a Diverse World  Read academic standards required by FDU  Feedback from peers & TA & teacher
 Maintain high standards for academic integrity, including honor code  Support from TA & teacher
requirements
4. Communication  Participate in small & big group discussions  Feedback from peers
 Interact effectively with others, including teacher, TA and classmates  Establish meaningful relationship with teachers, TA  Q&A in class
in and after the class and peers  Feedback from TA & teacher
5. Professional Development  Apply what you just learned to analyze and / or help  Feedback from TA & teacher
 List & review your own personal and academic goals for this course with your personal concerns
and try to establish a plan to achieve your goals  Establish meaningful relationship with teachers, TA
 If you consider yourself as a person who often procrastinates, try to and peers
analyze your behaviors with an attitude of curiosity, self-respect and  Seek professional help if necessary
acceptance
 Learning Objectives
• These goals are ambitious (but attainable)
– Your expectation & motivation & learning strategies
• How to achieve these goals?
– Attend the class & read the textbook/learning materials
– Participate in all kinds of learning activities, including online quiz, discussions,
experiments, assignments, assessment & reflection…
– Try to be curious about yourself & others and apply what you’ve learned in your
daily lives to see how it works
 Grading Policy
Components Point %
Online quiz (open-book) 20%
Individual homework assignment 45%
Group Project 25%
Participation 10%
Total 100%
 Class Behavior
• Be proactive in learning this course
– Active participation of learning activities
– Stay focused, open-minded and curious
– Use good learning strategies such as PQ4R (Preview, Question, Read, Reflect,
Recite, Review)
• Be punctual & ask for leave in advance if you cannot show up &
register your participation & open your camera
• Please show respect to me, my T.A. and fellow students
The learning path of this very intense course

Research Sensation &

Introduction Biological basis
methods perception

Developmental
Consciousness Memory Learning
Issues

Motivation & Emotions & Psychological Topics in Social

Emotions Stress Disorders psychology
 Course Schedules
No. Main Topics Task
12.19 An Introduction to the Course Assignment1 (optional)
12.21 Research methods in Psychology Quiz 1 & Assignment2(optional)
12.22 The Biological and Evolutionary Basis of Behaviors Quiz2 & Team up
12.25 Sensation & Perception Quiz3 & Assignment3(optional)
12.26 Consciousness Quiz4
12.28 Memory Quiz5 & Assignment4(optional)
12.29 Learning Quiz6 & Assignment5(optional)
1.1 Topics in Developmental Psychology Quiz7
1.2 Motivation & Emotion Quiz8
1.4 Emotion & Stress Quiz9 & Assignment6(optional)
1.5 Psychological Disorders & guest speaker lecture Quiz10
1.8 Topics in Social Psychology Teamwork project submission
Learning is a collaborative process
• If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in chat box or
email me & TA
A BRIEF LOOK AT PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC
DISCIPLINE
 What is PSYCHOLOGY
 NOT AN EASY QUESTION
 Definition in Textbook
 The scientific study of behavior of individuals and their mental
processes
 Scientific method: a logic of inquiry & orderly steps to analyze and
solve problems & acquire knowledge. @“Evidence-based” & “Self-
correcting”
 Behavior: actions taken by organisms to adjust to their environment.
@“Observable”
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 What is PSYCHOLOGY
 Definition (Gerrig, 2013 ): The scientific study of behavior
of individuals and their mental processes
Mental processes: the workings of human mind, such as
sensation, memory. @ “internal world” & not directly
observable
Individual: the target of the psychological analysis @
“individual differences”

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 What is PSYCHOLOGY

APA’s version Biology

Sports Medicine
“Psychology is a diverse
discipline, grounded in science, Arts Sociology

but with nearly boundless Psychology

Laws
A Scientific Anthropology
applications in everyday life” Discipline
Political
Statistics
science

Management Education
Economics

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 Four Goals of Psychology
 Using scientific methods to study
Behaviors & Mental Processes Biological
 Describe: making accurate & level
objective observations
 Explain/Understand: finding Behavior
consistent patterns & Mental
 Predict: making statements about Process
the likelihood of certain patterns Social- Psychological
 Control/Influence: making certain cultural level level

patterns appear or disappear

Three main levels of analysis (Myers & Dewall, 2015) 24

Practice: Describe What You See
 Four Goals of Psychology
 Using scientific methods to
describe/ understand/ predict/
Explain/
control Describe
 E.g. Fear Understand

Control/
Predict
Influence

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 A discovery often starts from a “?”
• Did you experience any fear or
even panic during the coronavirus
pandemic?
• Are you wearing a facial mask
when you go to any public place?
Why do you choose to or not to
wear a facial mask?
• WHY?
 Examples: Fear
Goals Sample Questions
Describe What is fear?
Explain Why are people afraid of something?

Predict Who is more likely to develop fear towards something?

How to control or decrease (or increase) fear when it is

Control necessary? How to deal with “unrealistic fear” (or
“maladaptive fearlessness”) ？

 Think for 1 minute

– How to define “fear”
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 Examples: Fear

Goals Sample Questions Tentative Answers

• One academic definition: Fear is a
Describe What is fear? type of negative emotion. It is an
aversive, activated state centered on
(usually) an identifiable threat. It
Why are people afraid usually involves intense negative
Explain
of something? feelings, strong bodily sensations and
an avoidance motive, which supports
actions for flight (Arne Öhman, in Lewis, Jones,
& Barrett, ed., 2008).

• WHY: “Threat” (e.g. coronavirus,

which could be life-threatening if
29 infected )
 Examples: Fear
Goals Sample Questions Tentative Answers
Predict Who is more likely to 1. Past similar experiences
develop fear towards 2. Being closer to the source of threat
and/or having less resources to defend
something? oneself
3. Personal trait, e.g. behavioral inhibition
Control How to control or 1. Understand emotion in general and
decrease fear when it accept it as a normal human functioning
is necessary? How to 2. Try to deal with the threat directly IF the
deal with “unrealistic threat is real (e.g. to wear a facial mask
fear” ？ in crowded public place)
3. Seek professional help when necessary

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Time to Reflect and Ask Questions

31
 The Birth of Psychology?
• A long past, a short history and an
uncertain future (Leahey, 1980)
– Conceptually: all those great ideas
about human nature (why we do
what we do)
– Methodologically: advances made
in other sciences/disciplines
• Wilhelm Wundt & first psychological
laboratory in Leipzig, Germany (1879)
– A physiologist & philosopher
– Physiological psychology
• E.g. the speed of the “mind”
 Fu n
ctio Str
nal uct
ism ura
lism

Psy
ana cho-
lysi
s

Bio Beh
l og av i
ora
ica
l l
itself （ Evans ， 1999 ）

Co
gni
tive

Hu
E vo ma
luti ni s
ona tic
ry
What is PSYCHOLOGY

C
cul ross-
 Psychology is always trying to redefine

tur
al

Neu
ros
c i en
ce
33
A familiar metaphor
 7 Contemporary Perspectives/Approaches

• These perspectives differ in

1. Views of human nature Social-
Psycho-
dynamic
2. Proposed major causes of cultural

behaviors (i.e. underlying

causal relationships) Cognitive Behavioral
3. Research interests & themes
4. Primary methodologies Humanisti Biological
c

Evolution
 7 Contemporary Perspectives/Approaches
• Today’s focus: Causes of
behaviors Psycho-
Social- dynamic
• “Why do we do things we do” cultural
– E.g. procrastination
– One general definition (Steel,
Cognitive Behavioral
2006): “to voluntarily delay an
intended course of action despite
expecting to be worse off for the Humanistic Biological
delay.”
Evolution
Activity: Do you procrastinate and Why?
 7 Contemporary Perspectives/Approaches

• Psychodynamic
– Sigmund Freud and neo-psychodynamic theorists
– Cause: The unconscious, inner forces & conflicts are the
main causes underlying our behaviors
– Motivation (for Freud): To satisfy two drives (i.e. life
instinct and death instinct) is the purpose of all behaviors
• Behavioral
– J. Watson and B. F. Skinner
– C: “Environment matters”-- every behavior is triggered by
a stimulus & maintained by its consequences & mental
“black box”
– M: The aim of all species-- survival, pleasure seeking &
harm avoidance
 7 Contemporary Perspectives/Approaches

• Humanistic
– “The third wave”: challenging the first two approaches
– C: All men strive to seek positive self development & are capable of
making meaningful choices
– M: Multiple-motivation-system: Hierarchy of needs & esp. self-
actualization as a unique motive for human being (Maslow)
• Cognitive
– See through the “black box”: challenging & modifying the behaviorism
– C: Subjective reality matters--Thoughts and all other processes of
knowing are triggered by a given stimulus and they lead to overt actions
– M: New equation of motivation-- Appraisals of the difference between
expectation and reality
 7 Contemporary Perspectives
• Biological
– C: Functions of genes, the nervous system, the endocrine system and so on,
produce behaviors and mental processes
• Reductionism: even the most complex behavior can be ultimately, and entirely explained by
chemical and electrical activities
– M: Not that relevant, perhaps survival as a form of life
• Evolutionary
– Based on Darwin’s groundbreaking ideas: law of natural selection
– C & M: Evolutions of certain mental abilities & behavioral tendencies--to solve
central adaptive problems (survival pressures): eating, mating, keeping safe…
 7 Contemporary Perspectives
• Social-cultural
– C: Social and cultural factors (other than physical environment) shape our
behaviors and mental processes, e.g. culturally defined “time perception”
– M: Human beings are essentially social beings (instead of physical beings) and
need to survive socially and maintain certain social connections
 7 Contemporary Perspectives
• Culture
– A set of attitudes (e.g. political or moral beliefs, values, social knowledge,
stereotypes, and superstitions), behaviors (e.g. schemes, rules, customs, fashions)
and symbols (e.g. meaningful icons, objects, colors and architectures)that are
shared by a group of people and passed down to the next generation (Shiraev
& Levy, 2013, p.3)
– Can be both explicit or implicit
– Important classifications: e.g., traditional vs. non-traditional cultures,
individualistic vs. collectivistic cultures
 Examples: how to explore the phenomenon of
procrastination using different perspectives
Perspectives Research Topics & Hypotheses
Psychodynamic Procrastination may serve as an unconscious defense against certain type of
anxiety, e.g. a revelation of an inadequate self
Behavioral Procrastination (in certain condition) is rewarded and therefore maintained, e.g.
by the removal of an unwanted task
Humanistic Procrastination may be a consequence of not being able to meet important
personal values: e.g. what you are supposed to do is based on others’ expectations
or demands, instead of your own wishes
Cognitive Negative self evaluations, such as “I will not be able to finish that task anyway”
may trigger procrastination
Biological What brain circuits are activated when one procrastinates
Evolutionary The evolutionary value for procrastination: figuring out uncertainty by waiting
Social-cultural The cultural difference in time perception and beliefs may result in different
tendencies & reactions towards procrastination
Time to Reflect and Ask Questions

44
 Keywords of Today
• Definition & Goals of psychology
• Psychodynamic perspective, behaviorism, humanistic perspective,
cognitive perspective, biological perspective, evolutionary perspective,
social-cultural perspective, culture, cross-cultural psychology

45
 Reading Materials & Video Links
 Amy Novotney. Where do the hours go? [Link]
 Amy Novotney. Procrastination or 'intentional delay'?
[Link]
 BBC documentary. “Genius of the Modern World” III-S. Freud
Thank you for active participation