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Introduction to Psychology Suzy Scherf Lecture 1: Introduction The Science of Psychology Thinking Critically in Psychology Evaluating the SSSM. What is Psychology?. What is Psychology?.
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Suzy Scherf
Lecture 1: Introduction
The Science of Psychology
Thinking Critically in Psychology
Evaluating the SSSM
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical, state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical, state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical, state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical, state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment.
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and external environment.
Kinds of Psychologists: (all scientists)
1. Critical thinking - assess claims on the basis of well-supported reasons and evidence - not on emotional or anecdotal reasoning.
2. Involves asking questions - one of the most important is, “WHY?”
3. Involves defining terms - must be clear and concrete
4. Involves examining evidence - “Let me have my opinion!” doesn’t count
5. Involves analyzing assumptions and biases - scientific thinkers do not take anything as proven fact and work hard to overcome their own biases in thinking
6. Involves avoiding emotional reasoning - do not let gut feelings replace clear thinking - emotional conviction does not settle arguments
7. Involves avoiding oversimplification - the obvious answer is often wrong and misleading - do not argue based on own anecdotal evidence
8. Involves consideration of other interpretations - the best interpretations are supported by the most evidence and explain the most variables
9. Involves tolerating uncertainty - sometimes evidence is unclear or does not even exist
10. Involves asking questions that can be tested in this world
What is the difference between these two statements?
1. I like Fords better than Hondas.
2. Fords are better than Hondas.
And what about this statement?
3. Fords are the best in the world and Hondas do not exist; they are a conspiracy of the Japanese government.
What’s Happening in Our Class?
1. Taking a look at Psychology by asking five broad questions.
What’s Happening in Our Class?
2. We will always be asking how the physical state of an organism and its environment simultaneously influence an organism’s behavior and mental processes.
3. We will spend a lot of time discussing how people are similar and some time talking about how they are different.
What’s Happening in Our Class?
4. We will draw on what we know about other critters to help us understand ourselves.
5. We will study and critique all kinds of ideas about the way people work.
6. We will learn a set of theoretical tools in the beginning of class and continue to use them though out the course.
What’s Happening in Our Class?
Examples of ideas that we will discuss and evaluate:
What’s Happening in Our Class?
Examples of ideas that we will discuss and evaluate:
Evolution is the best scientific theory that explains how we got here.
Why Does it Matter How We Got Here?
The Standard Social Science Model (SSSM)
What is Psychology Like without Evolution?
What is Psychology Like without Evolution?
2. Can only ask HOW questions – not WHY questions.
BLIND ALLEY
What is Psychology Like without Evolution?
3. Traditional psychology has to work through trial-and-error to discover the mind’s operating principles
What is Psychology Like without Evolution?
4. An artificial line is drawn between the Social and the Natural sciences.
What is Psychology Like without Evolution?
5. It assumes that humans born as a blank slate.
What is Psychology Like w/o Evolution?
6. It assumes that differences among people arise primarily from different experiences and cultures.
