Introduction to Behavioral Science Unit 1

I.Social Sciences  The study of society and the activities and relationships of individuals and groups within society.  All subject matter is approached by a scientific approach II.Social Studies  Courses of instruction in an elementary or secondary school, encompassing social sciences such as  Geography  History  Political sciences

III.Behavioral Sciences  They must deal with humans directly  Animals are sometimes used for studying purposes  Three types of Behavioral Sciences 1.Psychology – studies of behavior or the individual (personality, learning, etc.). 2.Sociology – studies the behavior of man in groups. Focuses on:  How and why groups develop.  The mores and folkways that govern them  Mores – formal, written rules or laws  Folkways – informal, accepted ways of doing things 3.Anthropology – Studies behavior within a culture (culture-knowledge, beliefs, values, customs, etc.) that are learned.

Types of Research Methods  Experimental –A research method designed to answer questions about cause and effect –Its main advantage over other data gathering methods is that it permits the researcher to control conditions, etc.  Sample Survey – Take a sample of a group that you are studying and survey them  Case Study – Intensive study (in-depth) of a single person or group  Natural Observation –You analyze a situation without getting involved (researcher stays out of the way –Also referred to as Field Study –Most of the time the participants don’t know they are being watched

Types of Research (cont’d)  Participant Observation – you join an existing group. (researcher actually gets involved) –Joins the military –Joins a cult  All research must be Both valid and reliable –Valid – Does the research measure what it’s suppose to measure –Reliable – The research must yield reasonably consistent results

Types of Research Methods (Continued)  Lets suppose we as a class wanted to do an experiment, how might we set the experiment up? –Experimental group – Those subjects experiencing the experimental condition –Control group – Same as above but this group experiences the key factor the Psychologist (or any other social scientist) is evaluating.

Scientific Method (Approach) 1.State the problem 2.Hypothesize 3.Gather empirical data 4.Interpret the data, test your hypotheses 5.Evaluate and conclude

Requirements of the Scientific Method 1.Procedures must be public 2.Definitions must be clear and precise 3.Collection of data must be objective 4.Findings must be reproducible Spirit of Science In order to practice the spirit of science, one must be prejudice free, devoted to critical thinking, curious, and seeking truth

Science  Goals of Science –Describe behavior (ex. Jane was throwing food in the cafeteria) –Explain behavior (understand)  A behavioral scientist seeks to explain this behavior in the form of a hypothesis  Studies would have to be done to test the hypothesis. –Predict behavior – behavioral scientists would predict:  Would the behavior continue  Is this the natural behavior –Change Behavior (control) – behavioral scientists would try to:  Control the behavior  Influence and change behavior

Science  Advantages of Science –Science can correct mistakes –Build on previous discoveries  Key assumptions of science –Operationalism  Objective and accurate measurement of variables –Determinism  Any event can be explained by casual laws  There is reasons/causes for everything –Invariance  Laws do not change

Science  Common Misconceptions about science –“Science is the same as statistics.” (although statistics can be a useful tool, they are not the same as science) –“Science is synonymous with technology.” Science may use technology, but it is not technology itself.  Research ethics –Is the researcher biased? –Does/can the subjects know they are being studied? –Are the Subjects safe? –Is the knowledge misused? –Is the research on humans/animals ethical? –Should some topics not be studied?

Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist  Psychologist –5 yrs. B.S. psychology –2 yrs. Masters in psychology –4 yrs. PhD psychology –6 yrs supervised training before individual works alone with patients –10 yrs training –Can’t give medicine  Psychiatrist –5 yrs. B.S. Pre Med –4 yrs. Med School –3 yrs. Residency – have patient load –11 yrs. Training –Can prescribe medicine

In Class Assignment  You are now going to go through a make believe research project (I want to see if you understand the Research Method) –Pick a behavior that you see here at school that would be good to explain –Put this idea into the Scientific Method for a fictitious study 1.What is the purpose of the study 2.What is your hypothesis 3.What type of research would you use for this study 4.What data do you think you would come up with 5.What do you think your conclusion would be