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HUMAN BEHAVIOR CHAPTER 1
Mr. Bermudez
WARM UP ACTIVITY Write a response to the following prompt
Imagine that you are a psychologist. Your client Linda, tells you that spirits live in the trees near her home. Is Linda suffering from a delusion? Is she abnormal? What would you write down in your Client Log?
OOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! DOES THAT MAKE SENSE NOW?????
Imagine that you are a psychologist. Your client Linda, who is a Native American, tells you that spirits live in the trees near her home. Is Linda suffering from a delusion? Is she abnormal?
WHAT’S WRONG? You will misjudge Linda’s mental health if you
fail to take her cultural beliefs into account.
Cultural relativity: the idea that behavior must be judged relative to the values of the culture in which it occurs.
“Cases like Linda’s teach us to be wary of using inappropriate standards when judging others or comparing groups.”
TESTING COMMON-SENSE BELIEFS
As a group open your text books to pg. 13
Look at the orange box titled, Critical Thinking
Read the bulleted common-sense beliefs Write down on a lined paper which ones are true
and which are false.Stop once you have reached the last bullet point
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? How would you explain psychology?
IdeasLeadersWhat’s it all about?
PSYCHOLOGY IS………… Psychology
Psyche: Mind Logos: Knowledge or study
Definition: The scientific study of behavior and mental processes Behavior: Overt (i.e., can be directly observed, as
with crying) Mental Processes: Covert (i.e., cannot be directly
observed, as with remembering)
ANYONE KNOW WHAT EMPIRICISM IS? ……………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Neither DID I!!!!!!!
EMPIRICISM: LETS TAKE A LOOK!!!!
In the past experts said: Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible Radio has no future X-rays are a hoax
Same issue in Psychology
To measure and describe behaviors
To gather empirical evidence: Information gained from direct observation and measurement
To gather data: Observed facts
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Scientific Observation: An empirical investigation that is structures so that it answers questions about the world
Research Method: A systematic approach to answering scientific questions
Okay I HAVE BORED YOU ENOUGH TODAY!!!!
DO NOW ACTIVITY Write a response to the following prompt
Should animals be used to study behavior? Why or why not might this be beneficial?
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY MINI-PROJECT
Using your data, work with the person next to you.
You shall compile both of your subject’s statements, and create a poster.
You shall look for images online to illustrate what your patients believe psychology is.
Please be sure to type out each of your clients responses.
CRITICAL THINKING Ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize
information What you expect to see if the claim were true? Gather evidence relevant to the claim Evaluate the evidence Draw a conclusion
Often used in research
CRITICAL THINKING: KEY PRINCIPLES Few truths transcend the need for empirical testing
Evidence varies in quality
Authority or claimed expertise does not automatically make an idea true
Critical thinking requires an open mind
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY? Description of Behaviors: Naming and classifying
various observable, measurable behaviors
Understanding: Being able to state the causes of a behavior
Prediction: Predicting behavior accurately
Control: changing conditions that influence behaviors Positive use: control unwanted behaviors (smoking, tantrums)
Negative use: control people’s behaviors without their knowledge
HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY Goal: Learn about one of the many branches of
psychology
Task: We’re heading INTO THE LAB!Your task is to become an expert in your selected field.
You must research the assigned topic with a group
Answer essential questions
Identify key people, ideas, AND EXPERIEMENTS!
Create a PowerPoint with definitions and illustrations
But find a simple experiment you can use on your classmates.
READING CHECK QUIZ Answer the questions from what you
have learned over the past few days.
PSYCHOLOGISTS-GUARANTEED NOT TO SHRINK
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
About $30 an hour. (and going up!)
MANY FLAVORS OF PSYCHOLOGY Psychologists: master’s/doctorate degree;
trained in methods, knowledge, and theories of psychology
Clinical psychologists: Treat more severe psychological problems or do research on mental disorders
Counseling psychologists: Treat milder problems, such as school or work troubles
Both treat human EMOTIONAL difficulties
MORE HELPING PROFESSIONALS
Psychiatrists: MD; use medications to treat peoples problems; generally do not have extensive training in providing “talk” therapy
Psychoanalysts: Receive additional training post-PhD or MD at an institute for psychoanalysis
SOME MORE HELPING PROFESSIONALS
Psychiatric social worker: Mental health professional who applies social science principles to help people in clinics and hospitals Presently a very popular profession
Counselor: Advisor who helps solve problems with marriage, school, and so on
Not all psychologists perform therapy!
DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY: IS A CAREER IN PSYCHOLOGY RIGHT FOR YOU?
Open up to page 27
Read the green box
Answer all the questions (HONESTLY)
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD Form of critical thinking based on careful measurement
and controlled observation
Six Basic Elements Observation Defining a problem Proposing a hypothesis (an educated guess that can be
tested) Gathering evidence/testing the hypothesis Publishing results Building a theory
SOME BORING TERMS Hypothesis Testing: Scientifically testing the predicted
outcome of an experiment or an educated guess about the relationship between variables
Operational Definition: Defines a scientific concept by stating specific actions or procedures used to measure it
THEORY
Theory: A system of ideas that interrelates facts and concepts, summarizes existing data, and predicts future observations A good theory must be falsifiable (i.e., operationally
defined) so that it can be disconfirmed
NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION Observing a person or an animal in the
environment in which they/it live(s)
PROBLEMS
Observer effect: Changes in subject’s behavior caused by an awareness of being observed
Observer bias: Occurs when observers see what they expect to see or record only selected details
ANTHROPOMORPHIC FALLACY
Anthropomorphic fallacy: Attributing human thoughts, feelings, or motives to animals, especially as a way of explaining their behavior (e.g., “Anya, my cat, is acting lethargic because she’s feeling depressed today.”)
EXPERIMENTS
To identify cause-and-effect relationships, we conduct experiments
Directly vary a condition you might think affects behavior
Create two or more groups of subjects, alike in all ways except the condition you are varying
Record whether varying the condition has any effect on behavior
VARIABLES Any conditions that can change, and might affect an
experiment's outcome
Independent variable: Condition(s) altered by the experimenter; experimenter sets their size, amount, or value; these are suspected causes for behavioral differences
Dependent variable: Demonstrates effects that independent variables have on behavior
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES Conditions that a researcher wants to prevent
from affecting the outcomes of the experiment (e.g., number of hours slept before the experiment)
EXPERIMENTAL GROUP The group of subjects that gets exposed to the
independent variable
CONTROL GROUP The group of subjects that gets all conditions
EXCEPT the independent variable
RANDOM ASSIGNMENT Subject has an equal chance of being in either the
experimental or control group
EVALUATING EXPERIMENTS’ RESULTS Statistically significant: Results gained would occur
very rarely by chance alone. The difference must be large enough so that it would occur by chance in less than 5 experiments out of 100
Meta-analysis: Study of results of other studies
PLACEBO A fake pill (sugar) or injection (saline)
Placebos alter our expectations about our own emotional and physical reactions
If placebo has any effect, might be based on suggestion, not chemistry
PLACEBO EFFECT Changes in behavior that result from belief that
one has ingested a drug
These expectancies then influence bodily activities
Herbal remedies may be based on placebo effect
EXPERIMENT TYPES Single-blind experiment: subjects are unaware
if they get real treatment or placebo
Double-blind experiment: The subjects AND the experimenters have no idea whether the subjects get real treatment or placebo
EXPERIMENTER EFFECTS Experimenter effects: Changes in behavior
caused by the unintended influence of the experimenter
Self-fulfilling prophecy: A prediction that leads people to act in ways to make the prediction come true Common problem
THE CLINICAL METHOD Case study: In-depth focus on all aspects of a single
person
Natural clinical tests: Natural events, such as accidents, that provide psychological data
Survey method: Using public polling techniques to answer psychological questions
SAMPLING Representative sample: Small group that
accurately reflects a larger population Population: Entire group of animals or people belonging
to a particular category (e.g., all married women)
Internet surveys: Web-based research; low cost and can reach many people
PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES Pseudo means “false.” Any unfounded “system”
that resembles psychology and is NOT based on scientific testing
Palmistry: Lines on your hands (palms) predict future and reveal personality
Phrenology: Personality traits revealed by shape of skull
PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES (CONT)
Graphology: Personality traits are revealed by your handwriting
Astrology: The positions of the stars and planets at birth determine personality traits and affect your behavior
PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES: SOME CONCEPTS
Uncritical acceptance: Tendency to believe positive or flattering descriptions of yourself
Fallacy of positive instances: When we remember or notice information that confirms our expectations and forget the discrepancies
Open to page 44 Your Personality Profile
THE BARNUM EFFECT
Barnum effect: Tendency to consider personal descriptions accurate if stated in general terms
Always have a little something for everyone. Make sure all palm readings, horoscopes, etc. are so general that something in them will always apply to any one person!