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The World of PsychologyWood and Wood
Introduction To Psychology
Chapter 1
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Just what is Psychology?
Psychology conjures up images of mental disorders and abnormal behavior. Psychologists do study the strange and unusual, but they are interested in the normal and commonplace as well.Just what is psychology? Today psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Science or common sense?
1. Memory is more accurate under hypnosis.2. All people dream during a night of normal sleep.3. As the number of bystanders at an emergency increases, the time it takes for the victim to get help decreases.4. Humans do not have a maternal instinct.5. Older adults tend to express less satisfaction with life in general than younger adults.
6. Eyewitness testimony is often unreliable.7. Children with high IQs tend to be less able physically than their peers.8. Creativity and high intelligence do not necessarily go together.9. When it comes to close personal relationships, opposites attract.10. The majority of teenagers have good relationships with their parents.
Indicate whether each statement is true (T) or false (F).
Science or common sense?
All of the odd-numbered items are false, and all of the even-numbered items are true.
So, common sense, alone, will not take you very far in your study of psychology.
Scientific Method
Identify a Research Problem Design a Study Collect and Analyze Data Draw Conclusions Communicate findings
Copyright © Allyn & bacon 2002
How does the scientific method work?
The classical approach to solving anything in science starts with a "problem," which through experimentation and prediction, evolves through the "hypothesis" and "theory" stages into a scientific "law."
From: Ask GeoMan...
The Scientific Method
The scientific method consists of the orderly, systematic procedures that researchers follow as they identifya research problem, design a study to investigate the problem, collect and analyze data, draw conclusions, and communicate their findings.
(Formal Definition)
How does the scientific method work?
1. Wild and Crazy IdeaIf we assume that all science starts as science fiction, I like this terminology better than just calling it a ”research problem." Getting beyond this involves setting up experiments to verify your idea.
Ask GeoMan...
How does the scientific method work?
2. Hypothesis
If your experimental data fail to support your idea, you'll need to go back to Step 1. If your experiments do support your idea, move on to Step 3.
Ask GeoMan...
How does the scientific method work?
3. TheoryGreat, your experiments support your hypothesis, and you are now the proud owner of a theory. Getting beyond this into the law stage requires that you can use your theory to predict the results of additional work, and that your predictions hold. As before, if they don't, return to an earlier step and try again. If your predictions hold consistently, move on to the next stage.
Ask GeoMan...
How does the scientific method work?
4. LawThis is where most discussions of the scientific method end. However, I (GeoMan) feel two additional steps are almost guaranteed to occur.
“scientific law: 1. A natural phenomenon that has been proven to occur invariably whenever certain conditions are met. 2. A formal statement describing such a phenomenon and the conditions under which it occurs.” Also just called a law.http://www.webref.org/geology/s/scientific_law.htm
How does the scientific method work?5. Dogma
Laws tend to be supported to such an extent that they almost become dogma. Take gravity for example. When is the last time you dropped a pencil and it floated away. Pretty stupid idea, huh? We are all so sure that gravity is THE LAW that we don't even consider the possibility that there may be exceptions or situations when it breaksdown and doesn't work.
This leads to the last and final stage:
How does the scientific method work?
6. StagnationThis is the death of scientific thought, and should have no place in YOUR thoughts. Question all scientific laws, especially the ones that are the most firmly steeped in dogma. (But don't be stupid about it - throwing yourself off a cliff to test gravity doesn't make much sense!)
The Goals of Psychology
Description Explanation Prediction Control
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Descriptive Research Methods
Naturalistic and Laboratory Observation Case Study Survey Research
Experimental method Correlational method Meta-Analysis
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
See table on Page 18!
Descriptive Research Methods
Naturalistic and Laboratory Observation Descriptive Information Observer Bias & Influence Minimal control
Case Study Survey Research
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Descriptive Research Methods
Naturalistic and Laboratory Observation Case Study
Small sample but Deep Misintrepretation Time consuming
Survey Research
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
I disagree with authors here. Case Studies are frequently used in other disciplines. MBAs frequently use method.
Descriptive Research Methods
Naturalistic and Laboratory Observation Case Study Survey Research
Descriptive Information Large numbers => good stats Bias possible but not by professionals
Again, the authors have a narrow view. This technique is frequently used in market research.
Experimental Method
Hypothesis Independent Variable Dependent Variable Experimental Group
Control Group Generalize Findings Problems
Selection Bias Placebo Experimenter Bias
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Manipulate
Measure
The Correlational Method
Relationships not Causes Correlation Coefficient Correlation and Prediction
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
The Correlational Method
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Correlation is NOT
Causation!
Correlation Example cont.1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
East 20.4 27.4 90 20.4 0.234512West 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6North 45.9 46.9 45 43.9 0.621825
East vs West
20
25
3035
40
45
50
0 20 40 60 80 100
East
Wes
t
West vs North
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
0 50 100
North
Wes
t
Correlation Examples
Yet another Correlation Example
pulmonary anatomical dead space
Psychological Research
Ethics in Research Human Participant in Psychological Research Bias in Psychological Research Use of Animals in Psychological Research
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
The History of PsychologySchools of Thought
Structuralism Functionalism Gestalt Behaviorism Psychoanalysis Humanistic Cognitive Evolutionary
Wundt & Titchener
William James
Wertheimer
Watson & Skinner
Freud
Maslow & Rogers
Chomsky
Cosmides and Tooby
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Women and Minority Pioneers in Psychology
Christine Ladd-Franklin Mary Whiton Calkins Margaret Floy Washburn Francis Cecil Sumner Albert Sydney Beckham Kenneth Clark Jorge Sanchez
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Modern Perspectives in Psychology
Biological Perspective
Neuroscience
Psychoanalytic Perspective
Behavioral Perspective
Cognitive Perspective
Humanistic Perspective
Evolutionary Perspective
Sociocultural Perspective
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002
Holding Declining Increasing
Psychologists at Work
Clinical 44% Generalists 17.5% Counseling 11% Basic Research 7% Industrial/Organizational 4% School Psychologists 4% Other 4% Educational 3% Developmental Psychologists 3% Social Psychologists 2.5%
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2002