Psychology Quiz (true or false) Psychologists can read people’s minds. The closer the genetic relationship between two people, the closer their IQ scores are likely to be. Psychologists manipulate people like puppets. People cannot change-they are the way they are. Substance abuse may be a sign of mental illness.

A therapist may prescribe medication to patients who are diagnosed with a mental illness. An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year. Many people develop fears of various creatures even though they have had no direct negative experiences with them. Body temperature does not remain a steady 98.6 degrees throughout the day. The world wide web was modeled on the way the human brain works.

Hypothesis: If students are given mint gum while taking a quiz, then they will get a larger number of correct responses than their non-mint gum chewing classmates. Results:

Mint Gum Quiz Results # of correct responses possible =120

What is Psychology? Unit 1

Overview The science of psychology Origins of psychology Psychological perspectives What psychologists do Critical and scientific thinking Correlations The experiment Evaluating findings

Psychology is not… Psychology is: Pop psychology, Psychobabble, (pseudoscience & quackery) Self-help books, talk shows Astrology, graphology, psychics… Common sense Psychology is: The study of behavior and mental processes Based on empirical evidence- relying on evidence gathered by careful observation, experimentation, or measurement

Origins of Psychology Origins of Psychology Ancient Egyptians, Aristotle (300 BC), and Greek philosophers Psychology- combo of two Greek words-psyche meaning “mind” and logos meaning “study” or “knowledge” Develops out of other fields Wilhelm Wundt- father of psychology; launched the 1st experiment in Leipzig, Germany in 1879 (birth year of psych) Introspection; est. structuralism Edward B. Titchener- Structuralism- goal is to study conscious experience and its structure through experiments and introspection; explain structure of the mind by breaking it down mental experiences into their component parts Wilhelm Wundt

Origins of Psychology Gestalt psychology-integrate pieces of information into meaningful wholes (the whole is different than the sum of its parts) William James- How the mind works in allowing an organism to adapt to its environment; wrote 1st psych text; founded functionalism Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis-explains personality and behaviors through unconscious motives and conflicts Behaviorism Study only observable behaviors not mental processes (John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner) Phrenology – Dr. Joseph Gall Phineas Gage Freud's couch

Origins of Psychology Old perspectives Functionalism (William James) Early approach that emphasized the function or purpose of behavior and consciousness Interested in how and why something happens Functionalists broadened field of psychology to include the study of children, animals, religious experiences, and stream of consciousness Structuralism (Wundt, Titchner) Structure of the conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts & sensations Try to understand structure by analyzing intensity, clarity and quality of its basic parts Psychoanalysis (Freud) A theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy, originally formulated by Sigmund Freud Emphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts

Contemporary Psychological Perspectives Choose a celebrity with outrageous behavior. Focus in on a specific behavior. Examine and record why the celebrity exhibits this behavior from all six perspectives. Biological perspective Learning (behavior) perspective Cognitive perspective Sociocultural perspective Psychodynamic perspective Humanist Perspective How do we choose mates? Who do you find attractive?

The Biological Perspective ~Psychological approach that focuses on how bodily events affect behavior, feelings, and thoughts Follows the tradition of functionalism This perspective involves: Hormones & glands Brain chemistry Heredity-genetic factors Evolutionary influences Evolutionary Psychology- functional behavior of the past is reflected in present behaviors, mental processes, & traits adaptation

Learning Perspective (Behavioral Perspective) A psychological approach that emphasizes how the environment and experience affect a person’s or animal’s actions. This perspective involves: Behaviorism Rewards and punishments maintain or discourage specific behaviors

The Cognitive Perspective Psychological approach that emphasizes what goes on in people’s heads (mind) Involves: Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language Perceptions and thoughts influence our behavior

The Sociocultural Perspective Psychological approach that emphasizes social and cultural forces outside the individual This perspective involves: Ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status influence our behavior Social psychology or the study of rules, roles, groups, and relationships Cultural psychology or the study of cultural norms, values, and expectations

The Psychodynamic Perspective Psychological approach that emphasizes unconscious dynamics within the individual, such as inner forces, conflicts, or the movement of instinctual energy; f This perspective involves: Unconscious thoughts, desires, conflicts Early childhood experiences Self-awareness

The Humanist Perspective emphasizes personal growth and the achievement of human potential, rather than the scientific understanding of behavior This approach involves: Self-concept People make free and conscious choices based on their unique experiences Emphasized creativity and achieving potential

Work in colleges and universities What Psychologists Do Basic Research- seeks knowledge for its own sake; teach and conduct research Biological psychologists (neuropsychologists) Developmental psychologists Cognitive psychologists Experimental/research psychologists Social psychologists Applied Research- tackles practical problems; concerned with finding uses for knowledge Industrial/organizational, forensic, sports, educational, school, & consumer psychologists Counseling psychologists- help people cope with challenges Clinical psychologists (clinician) - assess and treat mental, emotional & behavioral disorders; most common 52% of psychologists Psychiatrists- provide psychotherapy, MD’s licensed to prescribe drugs & treat physical causes of psychological disorders Work in colleges and universities

Critical and Scientific Thinking Critical thinking- does not accept arguments and conclusions. Does examine assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assess conclusions. Scientific Method- In psych the question should be in an If…then Format.

Research Strategies Include: Case studies Observational studies Correlational study Surveys Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Studies experiments

Case Studies- A research technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles Prone to bias May not apply to other people or situations Examples: Genie-child abuse/language acquisition; patients with brain injury

Observational Studies- Researchers observe and record behavior without interfering with behavior 2 types: Naturalistic observation Observe people or animals in their natural environment Laboratory observation Observe behavior in a controlled setting confirmation bias- tendency to search for information that confirms a preconception Participant bias-research participants behave in a certain way because they know they are being observed or they believe they know what the researcher wants

Correlational study- A research project strategy that investigates the degree to which two variables are related to each other Correlation- A statistical measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another. Correlational coefficients can range from 0.0 – 1.0. Positive correlations An association between increases in one variable and increases in another, or decreases in one variable and decreases in the other. Negative correlations An association between increases in one variable and decreases in another. Correlations show patterns, not causes.

Correlations can be represented by scatterplots.

Surveys- Allows researchers to collect a large amount of data efficiently through questionnaires and/or interviews Survey method- research technique that questions a sample of people to collect information about their attitudes or behaviors Random sample- represents a population because each member of the population has an equal chance of being included

Longitudinal and Cross-sectional studies Useful to developmental psychologists to study how individuals change throughout the lifetime Longitudinal study- research that follows the same group of individuals over a long period of time Cross-sectional study- research that compares individuals from different age groups at one time.

Experiments A research method in which the researcher manipulates and controls certain variables to observe the effect on other variables. An experiment includes variables of interest, control conditions, and random assignment. Experiment Steps Hypothesis-testable prediction Operational definitions: explanation of the exact procedure Random selection Random assignment (experimental & control) Experiment Identify the effects of the variables analysis

Variables: Independent variables -variables the experimenter manipulates; the variable that should cause something to happen Dependent variables -variables the experimenter predicts will be affected by manipulations of the independent variable(s); variable that should show the effect of changing the independent variable Confounding variable- variable that could change the dependent variable

Experimenter effects: Unintended changes in subjects’ behavior due to cues inadvertently given by the experimenter. Strategies for preventing experimenter effects include: single- blind studies: double-blind studies:

Control Group: In an experiment, a comparison condition in which subjects are not exposed to the same treatment as in the experimental condition. In some experiments, the control group is given a placebo, an inactive substance or fake treatment. Experimental Group: participants who are exposed to the treatment.

Data Analysis Is the hypothesis supported? Are the results statistically significant? If the result would occur by chance alone is no more than 5% Can the results be replicated?