1. AP Psychology
Intro To Psychology

2. What is psychology all about?
Memory
Stress
Therapy
Love
Persuasion
Hypnosis
Perception
Death
Conformity
Creativity
Learning
Personality
Aging
Intelligence
Sexuality
Emotion happiness
…menal illness
Sensation
Biological elements
Treatment of disorders

3. Psychology Psych is a science and a profession-
Uses Scientific collection/observation of data
In order to answer questions about behavior.
“Scientific Study of behavior and mental processes.”
To answer questions about the mind and behavior.
Psychologists try to solve problems.

4. Psychologists Describe (observe) Understand Behavior Predict Control
(Causes)
Predict
(Forecast)
Control

5. Behavior
Is anything you do, eating, sleeping, talking (Psychology endeavors to explain behavior, causes, motivations)
Overt behavior-
Observable actions & responses
Covert behavior-
Private internal activities (thinking remembering)

6. Psychologists/Researchers
Use Scientific Method-
Observation
Hypotheses
Gather evidence
Test hypotheses
Publish Results
Look for cause and effect relationships in for behavior

7. Approaches to Psychology (AP Outline)
Biological
Behavioral
Cognitive
Humanistic
Psychodynamic
Socio-cultural
Evolutionary

8. History of Psych: Family Album
1879- Wilhelm Wundt- “Father of Psychology”
Identified Introspection (looking inward) as a way to understand sensation, feelings, images, personal experiences
Used experimental self-observation- made psychology a science

9. History of Psych: Family Album
1880’s Edward Titchener
Followed up Wundt’s ideas and found Structuralism- “of the mind”
A structure of mental life, “building blocks”
Identified parts of the mind.
Will later be discredited

10. History of Psych: Family Album
1890- William James- founded Functionalism- “of the mind”
Questioned, how the mind helped us survive, adapt- habits, perceptions, emotions, related to survival?
Adapt, consciousness

11. Behaviorism The study of observable behavior
1958- John B. Watson- Rejected introspection
Believed in observing behavior
Stimuli: i.e., environmental aspects
Responses: muscles, glands
Believed in Pavlov’s experiments with dogs- concept of Classical Conditioning to explain behavior (1849

12. Behaviorism B. F. Skinner- 1950’s
Ignored the role of thinking and mental processes
Found environmental factors
Reward = positive reinforcers
Related to learning
Found laws of behavior apply to animals and humans

13. “Skinner Box” Used experiments to study behavior of rats
Operant Conditioning- “A behavioral response has an environmental outcome”
Push a button -----get some food.

14. Cognitive Behaviorism
Includes thinking
Example:
+ conditioning
Expectations
pleasure

15. Behavior Modification
Uses conditioning principles
Concept says, problems are the product of learned habits
Learned habits can be un-learned by behavioral methods.
Stimulus and response

16. Gestalt Psychology= Max Wertheimer
Said it was a “mistake to analyze psychological events into pieces.”
“the whole pattern or form” – German
Approach to psychology where the whole of psychology is used to understand behavior.
Uses thinking, learning, problem solving, social behavior, and perception to understand behavior
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

17. Neo-Freudians
Psychoanalytical- exploring the unconscious causes of behavior
Adler
Horney
Jung
Rank
Erikson

18. Humanistic Psychology
Tries to understand subjective human experience
Problems, ideals and potentials
Carl Roger and Abraham Maslow
Stress free will= choice
Not deterministic
Environment does impact behavior but people can improve
Attainment of needs are the basis of healthy psych

19. Humanistic Each of us is motivated by needs.
Needs for- love, self esteem, belonging,

20. Eclectic Psychology Psychodynamic Behavioristic Humanistic Cognitive
Bio-psychological

21. Psycho-Dynamic Psychology

22. Cultural Issues in Psychology
Psychology is dependent on culture
Cultural Relativity: Behavior that is acceptable in one culture may be abnormal in another.
Social Norms- impact the view of behavior.
Rules that define acceptable behavior

23. Cognitive Psychology Study- Problems Solving Thinking processes
Know and why
Consciousness
Mental Processes
Perceptions
Memory

24. Scientific Method Making observations Defining a problem
Proposing a hypothesis
Gathering evidence/testing the hypothesis
Naturalistic Observation, Survey, Experiments
Publishing results
Theory building

26. Research Methods in Psychology (AP Outline)
Experiential
Correlational
Experimental
Statistics
Ethics in Research

27. Observer Effect
Observer Effect: Problem when subjects are aware of the observation, behavior may be influenced.
Example: People being observed for study habits when they know they are being observed will tend to do more (thus changing their behavior, which will skew the study)

28. Observation Bias
Problem when researchers consciously or inadvertently influence the collection of data or observations.
Example: Researcher is trying to proove their theory by shaping the collection of data.

29. Anthropomorphic Error or fallacy
Error in identifying human attributes to animals
Example: identifying thoughts, feelings to behavior of animals

30. Correlational Studies
Studies that try to isolate behavior causation and the relationship between variables
Finds the degree of relationship between two variables or traits.
Results of data are expressed or reported in a Coefficient of Correlation

31. Coefficient of Correlation
Data that determines association of at least two variables
Expressed:
If 0 = then association is nonexistent or weak
If = Perfect Positive Correlation= Increase in one trait correlates to increase in other.
If = Perfect Negative = increase in trait and decrease in the other trait

32. Experimental Psychology
Used to answer the why questions in psych
Experiments are formal trials to confirm or disconfirm hypothesis

33. Typical Experiment 2 groups of subjects
Experimental Group- exposed to the independent variable* that is being analyazed. AKA the cause of the behavior.
Control Group: exposed to all the conditions except the independent variable.
Provides a reference for comparison, isolates the impact of independent variable (the item being investigated)
*Variable= is any condition that can change and might effect the outcome of the experiment.

34. 3 Types of Experiment Variables
Independent Variables
Suspected cause of behavior
Conditions altered by experimenter
Dependent Variables
Measures the results of experiment
Reveals the effects of Independent variable on behavior
Extraneous Variable
Outside variable – the researcher try to exclude from consideration

35. How can results of a study be evaluated?
Experiments that are labeled “Statistically significant” are studies that are reliable, because the independent variable will rarely occur by chance.
Replicating Results indicate reliability of studies.

36. Meta-Analysis
Multiple studies are combined to determine overall trends

37. Placebo Effect Drug studies may be influenced by suggestion
The act of taking a pill or injection may influence behavior= psychosomatic reaction.
Expectation may be a factor
To control the Placebo effect- single blind and double blind experiments could be used.

38. Single Blind and Double Blind
Single Blind- participants do not know if they are receiving a placebo or the drug
Double Blind- Neither the subject or the patient know who has the drug or placebo

39. Clinical Studies Single Subject – person
In-depth study of all aspects of a single subject (not an experiment)
Example of Phineas Gage-

40. When Dr. John Martyn Harlow arrived, Phineas was conscious and had a regular heartbeat, and both of his pupils reacted to light normally. He was reported to be "in full possession of his reason, and free from pain." He was under the care of Dr. Harlow for ten weeks, at which point he was sent home to Lebanon, New Hampshire. But while he was recovering, the doctor noted some changes in the man's demeanor and personality. People who had known him before the accident described him as hard-working, responsible, and popular with his workers, but after the traumatic injury, Phineas Gage was not the same man.
In regards to his patient, Dr. Harlow wrote:
Gage was fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires, at times pertinaciously obstinate, yet capricious and vacillating, devising many plans of future operations, which are no sooner arranged than they are abandoned in turn for others appearing more feasible. A child in his intellectual capacity and manifestations, he has the animal passions of a strong man. Previous to his injury, although untrained in the schools, he possessed a well-balanced mind, and was looked upon by those who knew him as a shrewd, smart businessman, very energetic and persistent in executing all his plans of operation. In this regard his mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was 'no longer Gage'.

41. Survey Methods Polling psychological questions
Problem of wording- questions mus be clear and appropriate
Pre-testing- questions may help insure good questions
Sampling- representative sample- a small group represents the larger population
Courtesy bias or Social desirability- people don’t respond truthfully when talking about some sensitive questions.
Race and Gender bias- can skew results

42. Ethics in Psychology Do not harm Describe risks to subjects
Voluntary participation
Minimize discomfort
Maintain confidentiality
No invasion of privacy
Use deception only when necessary
Debrief on events
Provide results and interpretations
Treat participants with dignity and respect