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