What is Psychology?

1. What is Psychology? Chapter 1

2. Why Study Psychology? • Understand why people act the way they do • Learn about your own thoughts and feelings

3. Psychology • The scientific study of behavior and mental processes • Emotions – affect both behavior and mental processes; good to study as well

4. Goals of Psychology • Observe • Describe • Explain • Predict • Control

5. Psychological Theories • Theory – Statement that attempts to explain why things are the way they are • Allows psychologists to predict behavior and mental processes

6. Psychological Research • Pure Research – research due to interest • Applied Research – research to find solutions to specific personal or social problems • Use scientific research to seek answers to questions

7. Research • Surveys and experiments most common • Sometimes even use animal behavior and apply findings to human beings

8. Careers in Psychology • Most are clinical psychologists • Other fields include school, developmental, social, environmental, industrial, sports, forensic, and consumer psychologists

9. Roots from Ancient Greece • Socrates said we can learn much about ourselves by carefully examining our thoughts and feelings • Introspection – looking within • Plato, a student of Socrates, recorded his teachers advice: “Know thyself.” • Aristotle, a student of Plato, outlined many laws of associationism – experiences often remind us of similar experiences in the past • Used scientific approach • Most Ancient Greeks believe gods punished people for wrongdoing by causing them confusion and madness • Hippocrates suggested these problems are caused by abnormalities in the brain, not supernatural forces

10. Middle Ages • Most believed that problems like agitation and confusion were signs of possession by demons • Possession was punishment for sins and the result of deals made with the devil • “Tests” were used to determine whether a person was possessed • Water-float test

11. Women in the 15th century suspected of witchcraft were put to the water-float test. If you float, you're a witch and you're executed. If you sink, you're not a witch … but you drown and die anyway.

12. Birth of Modern Science • Maybe we need evidence to explain human behavior and mental processes?? • Psychology became a modern laboratory science

13. Wilhelm Wundt & Structuralism • German psychologist that founded structuralism • Discovering the basic elements of consciousness • Human mind functions by combining basic elements of experience • Relies on introspection • First to open a lab to study behavior • The “Father of Psychology”

14. William James & Functionalism • Experience is a continuous “stream of consciousness” • Published The Principles of Psychology (first modern psychology textbook) • Functionalism – how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment

15. John B. Watson & Behaviorism • Founder of American behaviorism • Psychology is the scientific study of observable behavior • To be a natural science – must be measurable

16. B.F. Skinner & Reinforcement • Animal more likely to repeat behavior if reinforced • People learn the same way animals do…Behave in certain ways because they’ve been reinforced for doing so

17. How many of you had teachers that used these? • When was this? • Why don’t high school teachers use them?

18. How can carnival workers get these animals to behave like this? By using Skinner’s idea of reinforcement…food!

19. Gestalt Psychology • Importance of perception in influencing thinking & problem solving • Learning is active & purposeful, but not mechanical – occurs because of insight, not repetition

20. Inner circles are the same size

21. Inner circles are the same size!

23. The following slides have pictures that our brains automatically fill in the missing lines.

25. Sigmund Freud & Psychoanalysis • Importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts • Gained understanding by meeting with patients • Unconscious processes, especially sexual & aggressive urges, most important in governing people’s behavior and feelings

26. Psychodynamic Thinking • Most of what exists in an individual's mind is unconscious and consists of conflicting impulses, urges, and wishes • Human behavior is aimed at satisfying these desires but still being decent human beings

27. How superstitious are you?

28. Biological Perspective • Biological processes influence behavior and mental processes • Subject matter: Nervous system, glands, hormones, genetic factors

29. Cognitive Perspective • Perceptions and thoughts influence behavior • Subject Matter: Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language

30. Humanistic Perspective • People make free and conscious choices based on their unique experiences • Subject Matter: Self-concept

31. Psychodynamic Perspective • Unconscious motives influence behavior • Subject Matter: Unconscious processes, early childhood experiences

32. Learning Perspective • Personal experience and reinforcement guide individual development • Subject Matter: Environmental influences, learning, observational learning

33. Sociocultural Perspective • Sociocultural, biological, and psychological factors create individual differences • Subject Matter: Ethnicity, gender, culture, socioeconomic status

34. Chapter 2 Research Methods

35. Proverbs • “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” • “Out of sight, out of mind” • “Give someone an inch and they will take a mile” • “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones” • Rome was not built in a day • “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

36. Research Methods • Form Question • Form hypothesis • Test hypothesis • Analyze results • Draw conclusions • Then.. • Replication • Form new questions

37. Survey Method • Asked to respond to a series of questions about a particular subject • Written questionnaires or oral interview (face to face or over phone)

38. Populations and Samples • Target Population – whole group you want to study • Too expensive • Sample – only part of the target population • Saves money

39. Selecting Samples • Random Sample • Individuals selected by chance • Everyone has equal chance of being involved • Stratified Sample • Subgroups represented proportionately in sample • Example – African Americans • Large, random sample is usually stratified

40. Generalizing Results • Can’t make inferences about everyone if only study small group

41. Volunteer Bias • Predisposition to a certain point of view • May think differently than people who don’t volunteer • Could skew results

42. Methods of Observation • Testing Method • Intelligence tests, aptitude tests, personality tests • Problem – may not provide complete representation of one’s skills

43. Methods of Observation • Case Study Method • In-depth investigation of an individual or small group • Problem: can’t be replicated

44. Methods of Observation • Longitudinal Method • Study over years / decades and observe changes over time • Problems: time consuming, expensive, risky

45. Methods of Observation • Cross-Sectional Method • Instead of following a set of individuals over a number of years, may just include people of different ages • Problems: less reliable

46. Methods of Observation • Naturalistic Observation / Field Study • We do this all the time without even noticing • Try not to interfere with those they’re observing • Problem: Can’t control environment

47. Methods of Observation • Laboratory Observation • Often used to control environment • Anywhere that provides opportunity to observe or experiment • Skinner boxes & mazes for rats

48. Analyzing Observations • Correlation – measure of how closely one thing is related to another • Positive correlation – as one goes up, so does the other • Example: achievement & occupational success • Negative correlation – As one goes up, the other goes down • Example: stress & health

49. Limits of Correlation • Just because two things are related doesn’t necessarily mean one caused the other • Example: Positive correlation between grades & participation in extracurricular activities • Selection Factor – source of bias when participants are allowed to choose a specific treatment in a study

50. Correlation