PSY 201 Chapter 1

Psychology 201 Chapter one Ms. Diala Itani Psychology  What is psychology ? = scientific study of behavior and mental processes Why is Psychology a science? 1. It is based on supported evidence and experimental studies 2. Use of scientific method: gather and analyze objective information, removing biases and minimizing errors. To get reliable results that can predict future behaviors 3. Defines clear and concrete terms 4. Analysis of theories Goals of Psychology  Describe : identify, classify behaviors and mental processes  Understand: propose reasons for overt observations ( behaviors) and cognitive ( internal work of the mind)  Predict: offer predictions about a given condition  Influence: use results to solve future problems Areas of psychology Example: I get a snake class..  Personality psychologist - Why is he afraid and she is not?  Behavioral psychologist: - Individual previous learning behaviors: was she exposed to snakes when she was young and she learned to be scared?  Social psychologist: How other people’s reactions influence our own: Did he look at the classmates who ran away from the snake and he was influenced by them? Areas of psychology  Biological psychologist: Look at the man’s response in terms of heart rate and sweating  Neuroscientist Areas of the brain that are activated during fear such as the amygdala Revision of some of the subfields Clinical : Assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior, psychiatric problems psychological disorders in biological factors Cognitive: how people think, problem solving, decision making, language, attention information processing model Experimental: processes of sensing, learning, thinking about the world. Use of research case studies, naturalistic observations Psychology subfields  Developmental: specialization in infant, child, adolescent adult development of physical , cognitive, emotional aspects.  Forensic: legal issues, studying criminal behavior and treatments, working in the court, interviewing witnesses, conducting evaluations  Counseling: educational , social and career adjustment problems. Also about enhancing well-being, better functioning, goal setting, problems not related to biological deficiencies Psychological subfields  Health: relationship between psychological factors and physical illness or disease  Personality : patterns of thoughts, feelings, behavior , traits that make each unique  Social :how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others  Behavioral genetics How we might inherit certain behavioral trait How the environment influences whether we actually display such traits The education of a psychologist • PhD : Doctor of philosophy • PsyD : Doctor of psychology • MA or MS Master’s degree • BA or BS Bachelor’s degree Careers: • Administrator • Serving as a counselor • Providing direct care • Human resource, trainer, customer relation, advertising, marketing ,researcher, health system, career advisor, social worker , program designers ( more examples on p.11) Some history : origins Structuralism  Wilhelm Wundt  Focuses on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities  Introspection: Procedure used to study the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus structuralism Criticisms of structuralism  Introspection not a scientific technique  People had difficulty describing some kinds of inner experiences  These drawbacks led to the development of newer approaches Functionalism  Functionalism  William James  Concentrated on how behavior functions and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments Gestalt  Gestalt psychology  Focuses on the organization of perception and thinking in a “whole” sense rather than on the individual elements of perception Major perspectives of psychology Major perspectives  Neuroscience perspective: Views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous system, and other biological functions ex: How damage to different parts of the brain affects personality, behavior, learning ability, language  Psychodynamic perspective Sigmund Freud  Behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control Major perspectives  Behavioral perspective John B. Watson & B. F. Skinner  observable, measurable behavior should be the focus ex How children adopt certain behaviors by imitating their parents (social-learning) or by parents directly rewarding those behaviors (behavioral)  Cognitive perspective: Focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world  Information processing: - If we believe we will fail, we may not even try - we remember what is consistent with our beliefs Major perspectives  Humanistic perspective  Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow  Suggests that all individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior  emphasizes free will, personal growth, and resilience Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Ex: Depression & different perspectives  Biological/neuro: abnormalities in neurotransmitters in the brain  Behavioral: depressive symptoms have been reinforced (rewarded) by the environment (e.g., getting to stay home from school because of feeling depressed)  Cognitive: negative, pessimistic thinking style  Psychodynamic: depression is due to unconsciously displacing anger towards your parent onto yourself  Humanistic: depression is due to being unauthentic or by being otherwise blocked in fulfilling your potential Key issues Table in the book Scientific Method  Approach through which psychologists systematically acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior and other phenomena of interest What’s the difference…  Experimental and non-experimental research are distinguished by the degree of control that the researcher has over the subjects and conditions in the study.  In non-experimental research, there is often careful observation and measurement, but in experimental research there is also random assignment and manipulation of a variable.  The increased control in experimental research allows you to infer causal relationships between variables. Non-Experimental Research: Methods for Gathering Information  Case Studies  Observational Studies*  Naturalistic  Laboratory  Surveys  Correlation = strength of a relationship between two variables  Positive vs. Negative Correlations = nature of relationship  Coefficient of Correlation = strength of relationship CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION Experimental Research  In experimental research, you manipulate one or more (independent) variables and observe the effect of this manipulation on one or more other (dependent) variables, while controlling for the influence of other (extraneous) variables.  In this way, you can conclude that it was the effect of your independent variable that CAUSED the observed change in your dependent variable. The scientific method What is a theory ?  Broad explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest Example: Diffusion of responsibility - Greater the number of bystanders in an emergency situation, the smaller the share of the responsibility each person feels Hypotheses: Crafting Testable Predictions  Hypothesis: A prediction, stemming from a theory, stated in a way that allows it to be tested  Psychologists rely on formal theories and hypotheses for many reasons:  Permits them to place bits of observations within a coherent framework  Help psychologists to make deductions about unexplained phenomena  Develop ideas for future investigation  Operational definition: Translation of a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures What does “Research” mean?  Systematic inquiry aimed at the discovery of new knowledge  Key to understanding the accuracy of hypotheses and theories  Descriptive research  Systematic investigation of a person, group, or pattern of behavior Archival Research  Existing data is used to investigate a hypothesis:  Census documents  College records  Newspaper clippings  Problem with using existing data:  Data may not be in a form that allows the researcher to test a hypothesis fully Naturalistic Observation  Investigator simply observes some naturally occurring behavior  Does not make a change in the situation  Advantage - Sample of what people do in their natural habitat  Disadvantage - Inability to control any of the factors of interest Survey Research  People are asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes  Pitfalls  Results will be inconsequential if the sample is not representative  Survey respondents may not want to admit to holding socially undesirable attitudes  http://testyourself.psychtests.com/bin/transferreq =MnwyMTE0fDM2Mzk1ODR8MXwx&refempt= http://testyourself.psychtests.com Correlational Research  Research in which the relationship between two sets of variables is examined to determine:  Whether they are associated, or “correlated”  Correlation coefficient  Positive - As the value of one variable increases, so will the value of the other variable  Negative - As the value of one variable increases, value of the other variable will decrease  disadvantage - Inability to demonstrate cause- and-effect relationships Experimental research  Experiment: Investigation of the relationship between two (or more) variables by:  Producing a change in one variable in a situation and observing the effects on the second variable Experimental Research  Experimental groups and control groups  Treatment  Manipulation implemented by the experimenter  Experimental group  Any group participating in an experiment that receives a treatment  Control group  Group participating in an experiment that receives no treatment Experimental Research  Random assignment to condition: Participants are assigned to different experimental groups or “conditions” on the basis of chance  Significant outcome: Meaningful results  Make it possible for researchers to feel confident that they have confirmed their hypotheses  Replicated research: Research that is repeated The Ethics of Research  Informed consent: A document signed by participants:  Affirms that they have been told about the basic outlines of the study Should Animals Be Used in Research  Procedures that subject animals to distress are permitted:  When an alternative procedure is unavailable  When the research is justified by its prospective value  Provides greater experimental control over nonhumans  Procedures that might not be possible with people can be carried out Threats to Experimental Validity: Avoiding Experimental Bias  Experimental bias: Factors that distort the way the independent variable affects the dependent variable  Experimenter expectations  Participant expectations Threats to Experimental Validity: Avoiding Experimental Bias  Placebo: A false treatment without any significant chemical properties  Double-blind procedure - Keeping experimenter and participant “blind” to the nature of the drug administered Don’t forget..  Read the recap/evaluate/rethink pages  Read the main definitions & tables  Remember what we focused on..  Enjoy 