General Psychology

Scripture Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit – Those who recognize that they are truly sinners saved by grace. A humility which will lead to true confidence by recognizing the need for the savior.

The Need for Psychological Science Psychologists, like all scientists, use the scientific method to construct theories that organize observations and imply testable hypotheses* Monty Hall – First President John Hanson Six other presidents were elected after him - Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788) - all prior to Washington taking office. Why don't we ever hear about the first seven Presidents of the United States? It's quite simple - The Articles of Confederation didn't work well. The individual states had too much power and nothing could be agreed upon. A new doctrine needed to be written - something we know as the Constitution. 

The Need for Psychological Science Hindsight Bias * we tend to believe, after learning an outcome, that we would have foreseen it the “I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon

Overconfidence Sometimes we think we know more than we actually know. Anagram How long do you think it would take to unscramble these anagrams? WREAT WATER ETYRN ENTRY People said it would take about 10 seconds, yet on average they took about 3 minutes (Goranson, 1978). GRABE BARGE

The Need for Psychological Science Critical Thinking thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions examines assumptions discerns hidden values evaluates evidence

The Need for Psychological Science Theory an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations Hypothesis a testable prediction often implied by a theory

Research Process

The Need for Psychological Science Operational Definition a statement of procedures (operations) used to define research variables Example- intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures I love tacos…

The Need for Psychological Science Replication repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances usually with different participants in different situations

Experimentation Experiment an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe their effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable) by random assignment of participants the experiment controls other relevant factors

Experimentation Placebo Double-blind Procedure* an inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent Double-blind Procedure* both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo commonly used in drug-evaluation studies

Experimentation Experimental Condition Control Condition the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable Control Condition the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental treatment serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Experimentation Random Assignment assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance minimizes pre-existing differences between those assigned to the different groups

Experimentation Independent Variable Dependent Variable the experimental factor that is manipulated the variable whose effect is being studied Dependent Variable the experimental factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable in psychology it is usually a behavior or mental process

Experimentation

Correlation and Causation Correlation does not mean causation! or

The ability of a scale to measure what was intended to be measured Validity The ability of a scale to measure what was intended to be measured

Reliability The degree to which measures are free from random error and therefore yield consistent results

Reliability and Validity on Target Rifle Rifle Rifle Low Reliability High Reliability Reliable but Not Valid Valid Not Valid (Target A) (Target B) (Target C)

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior depend on ones culture? Culture--the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior vary with gender?

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Why do psychologists study animals? Is it ethical to experiment on animals? Is it ethical to experiment on people?

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Is psychology free of value judgments?

Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Is psychology potentially dangerous?