Understanding Experimental Psychology: Enhancing Decision-Making & Research Skills

1. PSYC 3130 Experimental Psychology * Welcome *

2. Welcome to PSYC 3130Experimental Psychologyw/ Mike Hoerger • Grab a syllabus • Skim it over so you can ask questions later • Start working on completing the last page • If you are not correctly enrolled in lecture/lab, see me

3. Overview • My Info • Rationale for Experimental Psychology • Syllabus • Exp. Psych Trivia Game • Lab 1

4. My Info • Hoerger rhymes with burger, but call me Mike • From Michigan by way of Rochester, NY (URMC) • Moved to New Orleans 2 weeks ago • Translational Psychological Science

5. Using basic psychology research to enhance decision-making in high-stakes contexts • Basic research: Personality, emotion, and psychopathology • Applied emphasis: Predominantly cancer, and open to any area emphasizing public health and well-being • Values interdisciplinary team science • Supports diversity (e.g., Tulane LS-LAMP)

6. Clinical psychologist by training • Settings: Outpatient, inpatient, prison, schools, cancer centers • Populations: Mostly adults, mainly for depression, predominantly financially distressed, racially and ethnically diverse • Formats: Individual therapy, group therapy, psychological evaluations, patient care • Interests: Sports, politics, comedy

7. Informal Advising: Any student • Since new to Tulane, better with career-trajectory questions than supplying concrete information • Recommendations: “A” in the course • Mentoring: “A” in the course, shared research interests, and planning to attend graduate school Questions?

8. Why do I have totake this class? (Rationale for Experimental Psychology)

9. Why do I have to take this? Why are more than 1 in 3 of the world’s psychologists in the U.S.? Why is China surpassing the U.S. in technologies like solar panels and high speed rail? Why did Kodak go bankrupt?

10. Scientific Infrastructure • Scientific infrastructure provides the building blocks that produce generativity and innovation • By YOU understanding psychology research, they entire nation becomes more immersed in psychology and able to understand and benefit from its science • This is why the U.S. leads in training psychology research methods

11. That’s a little over my head. Can you make it more concrete?

12. Why else do I have to take this? • Research and statistics provide the basis for drawing conclusions about human behavior • You may be interested in… • Conducting research • Consuming research • Applying research to daily life

13. Conduct Research • Curiosity • Add to knowledge base • “I want to help people” • Instrumental goals, like getting a job or going to grad school • Fame and money

14. What if conducting research sounds boring or unfulfilling?

15. Consume Research • Valuable to society • Needed for most jobs • Help friends, family, and co-workers • Curious

16. What if I’m the hedonistic, narcissistic, individualistic type?

17. Daily Life • Sports • Persuasion • Personality assessment • Improved interpersonal functioning

18. Syllabus • Order the book online ($5)  • Course details • Questions?

19. 1 of 15: Employment The immediate priorities of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) suggest a potential influx of jobs for people with skills in what area of psychology?

20. 2 of 15: Scientific Evaluation Which of the following is related to negative outcomes after a traumatic event?

21. 3 of 15: Ethics Which of the following professional fields was last to ban its members from facilitating torture?

22. 4 of 15: Generating Ideas Contrary to the “scientific method,” this psychologist argued that… Science does not progress through carefully designed steps called ‘experiments,’ each of which has a well- defined beginning and end.

23. 5 of 15: Measurement Which of the following techniques has the best predictive validity of job performance?

24. 6 of 15: Observational Research On Being Sane in Insane Places showed that pseudopatients faking schizophrenia were hospitalized for how many additional days after again behaving normally?

25. 7 of 15: Descriptive Survey How many times per year does the average 18-29 year old have sex?

26. 8 of 15: Correlation Magnitudes Which of the following tests is most accurate?

27. 9 of 15: Longitudinal Correlations Which of the following has been shown, on average, to have a negative long-term emotional impact?

28. 10 of 15: Statistics To whom do we attribute the exciting statistical discovery of the t-test?

29. 11 of 15: Experiments In recent years, brief social psychology “belongingness” interventions for college freshmen have been shown to dramatically reduce what?

30. 12 of 15: Quasi-Experiments Compared to developed countries, people with schizophrenia in developing nations are ________ likely to have a complete recovery.

31. 13 of 15: Self-Experiments In 1985, a researcher intentionally developed this condition in order to demonstrate its cause and potential cure, later winning a Nobel prize.

32. 14 of 15: Public Policy Using standard medical procedures in the U.S., which type of cancer do we screen for most effectively?

33. 15 of 15: Symptoms Which of the following symptoms are most people able to accurately report?

34. Lab 1 • Go to course web site and click on the “Course Calendar” link • In the right column, click on the “Lab 1” link • Review it before Thursday, so you can ask me questions in lecture • Due in lab next week (W 9/4 or Th 9/5)