Unit 1: Introduction to PsychologyAPPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODS AND STATISTICS
Activity: What are your perceptions?Psychologist
Psychic
Psychiatrist
Therapist
Counselor
Social service worker
Palmistry
Psychometry
Psychokinesis
Astrology
What other professions are appropriate for persons
with a psychology degree?
The practice of psychology and psychology-based professions are strongly protected/ governed by local, state and Federal laws and guidance issued by the American
Psychological Association (APA).
Activity: True or false?The best way to learn and remember information is to cram, or study it intensively during one concentrated period of time.
Most brain activity stops during sleep.
Advertisers and politicians often use subliminal persuasion to influence our behavior.
Punishment is the most effective way to permanently change behavior.
Eyewitness testimony is often unreliable.
Polygraph tests can accurately and reliably reveal whether a person is lying.
Behaviors that are unusual or that violate social norms indicate a psychological disorder.
People with schizophrenia have two or more distinct personalities.
Similarity is one of the best predictors of long-term relationships.
In an emergency, as the number of bystanders increases, your chance of getting help decreases.
Lesson 1.1: The Field of PsychologyWhat are the goals of psychology?
Vocabulary
Physiological
Cognitive
Psychology The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Hypothesis
Theory
Basic science
Applied science
Empirical
Structuralist Psychologist who studies the basic elements that make up conscious mental experiences
Definitions of psychologyThe scientific study of the mind, human behavior, and the relation between the two in a human being.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
Scientific psychology: describe, explain, predict, and change behavior and mental processes through the use of scientific methods.
Behavior • Actions
Mental Processes
• Thoughts, feelings, motives
Activity: Test your intuitionsThe behavior of most lower animals—insects, reptiles and amphibians, most rodents, and birds—is instinctive and unaffected by learning.
A child learns to talk more quickly if the adults around the child habitually repeat the word he or she is trying to say, using proper pronunciation.
Slow learners remember more of what they learn than fast learners.
The best way to get a chronically noisy child to settle down and pay attention is to punish him or her.
On average, you cannot predict from a person’s grades at school and college whether he or she will do well in a career.
Most stereotypes are completely true.
The largest drug problem in the United States is marijuana.
Most developmentally disabled people also have psychological disorders.
Goals of PsychologyDescribe or acquire information about the behavior studied and present what is known
Explain why people (or animals) behave as they do
Predict, as a result of accumulated knowledge, what organisms will do
Influence behavior in helpful ways
Scientific Method
We’re never done!!
Formulating Hypotheses
and Predictions
Testing Through Empirical Research
Drawing Conclusions
Evaluating the Theory
Publish/Peer Review
Observing Some
Phenomenon
Must be falsifiable
Must be replicableCannot be biased
Must be reliable, validCannot be biasedPsychology is an empirical
science, which means that its knowledge is derived from experiments and observations and that its data are analyzed using mathematics and statistics.
Lab: Color and EmotionHave you ever seen a kitchen painted black? Or a living room painted bright purple? Probably not. Homebuilders know that people respond emotionally to color. Some colors seem to make us feel calm, while some make us anxious. A room painted the wrong color could be the difference between a peaceful breakfast every morning and a food fight.
Research Question: Do all people respond emotionally to color in the same way?
Hypothesis: People respond to color and do so in universal ways.
Materials: ◦ Labeled color samples of equal shape and size of the following colors—red, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange, black, brown, white, gray
◦ Checklist of emotions—happy, sad, nice, fearful, safe, bored, excited, etc.
Procedure:◦ Present the colors to at least 10 participants, drawn from as many different age groups and ethnicities as possible. Have your participants view
each color for 5 seconds and then record the emotional response the color makes them feel by selecting an adjective from the checklist.
Data Collection:◦ Tabulate the responses. Compare the responses with those of your classmates.
Analysis:◦ How did the data support or reject the hypothesis?
◦ What conclusions can you draw from the results about your everyday environment?
Review QuestionsWhat is the difference between a theory, a hypothesis, and a principle?
What is the purpose of the scientific method?
How do psychologists avoid false conclusions?
Journal EntryDo you think emotional responses to color are natural or are they learned?
Lesson 1.2: A Brief History of PsychologyHow did psychology develop as a unique form of study?
Vocabulary
Functionalist
Psychoanalyst
Behaviorist
Humanist
Cognitivist
Psychobiologist
Psychology’s founding fathers
•Pragmatist/Functionalist•The Meaning of Truth•Medical and religious origins•Paranormal and mystical experiences
•Structuralist/Foundationalist•Principles of Physiological Psychology•Physics origins•Holistic approach to psychology
•Naturalist•On the Origin of Species•The Descent of Man•Biological origins•Transmutation, marine life
•Psychoanalysist•The Ego and the Id•Neurology origins•Hypnosis, psychotherapy
Contemporary Approaches to Psychology
Biological Behavioral Psychodynamic Humanistic
Cognitive Evolutionary Sociocultural
Review QuestionsWhat are some issues a sociocultural psychologist would study?
What common element are all the contemporary approaches studying?
Read & DiscussCase Study: The Four Humors
The Four Humors
Lesson 1.3: Psychology as a ProfessionWhat are the goals of psychology?
Vocabulary
Psychologist
Psychiatrist
Careers in PsychologySchool Systems
5%Counseling and
Guidance Centers6%
Independent Practice
23%
Hospitals and Clinics17%
Business and Government12%
Academic Institutions37%
Areas of SpecializationPhysiological Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience
Sensation and Perception
Learning
Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Motivation and Emotion
Psychology of Women and Gender
Personality Psychology
Social Psychology
Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Clinical and Counseling Psychology
Health Psychology
Community Psychology
School and Educational Psychology
Environmental Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Sport Psychology
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Currently there are 56 Divisions within APA
Review QuestionsHow do clinical and counseling psychologists compare?
What do experimental psychologists do?
Lesson 2.1: What is Research?What can influence the results of experiments?
Vocabulary
Naturalistic observation
Case study
Longitudinal study
Cross-sectional study
Correlation
Variable
Experimental group
Control group
Research Methods
Descriptive ResearchQualitative Data
Correlational ResearchQuantitative Data
Experiment Designs
Cross-Sectional
•Measure variables at a single point in time
Longitudinal
•Measure variables at multiple points over time
Types of Bias
Experimenter
• Lack of objective methods to obtain data
Research Participant
• Lack of natural participation
Ethnocentrism
• Lack of data from more than one culture as applied to studies of behavior
Sample
• Lack of correct type and number of subjects is not obtained, or does not reflect the general population
Ethical IssuesPsychologists plan research so as to minimize the possibility of misleading results.
Psychologists are responsible for the dignity and welfare of participants.
Psychologists obey all state and federal laws and regulations as well as professional standards governing research.
When consent is required, psychologists obtain a signed, informed consent before starting any research with a participant.
Deception is used only if no better alternative is available.
Review QuestionsWhat does the term correlation mean?
Why do psychologists develop a hypothesis at the beginning of a research project?
Why is it important for samples to be representative?
Journal EntryDo you think deception should be used in research? Under what conditions?
Lesson 2.2: Problems and Solutions in ResearchHow do psychologists gather information?
Vocabulary
Self-fulfilling prophesy
Single-blind experiment
Double-blind experiment
Placebo effect
Placebo Effect—is it all in your head?
Review QuestionsWhat is one method a psychologist could use to avoid self-fulfilling prophesies in their research?
What is a placebo?
Why can the Milgram experiment be classified as a single-blind experiment?
Case StudiesThe Milgram ExperimentThe Curious Case of Clever Hans