Chapters 1&2: Introduction and Research and Methods

1. Chapters 1&2: Introduction and Research and Methods Dr. Arra PSY 201 © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

2. Lecture Overview • Understanding Psychology • Doing Research in Psychology • Perspectives in Psychology © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

3. The Study of Psychology • Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes • Psychology values empirical evidence • Psychology employs critical thinking • Psychology employs systematic research methods © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

4. Pseudopsychologies • Pseudopsychologiesare unreliable approaches that do not use the scientific method • Examples of pseudopsychologies include: • Astrology: system that tries to relate personality to the movement of the stars • Palmistry: idea that reading a person’s character from the lines on their palms • Psychokinesis: notion that humans can move objects through mental concentration • Follicology: notion that personality characteristics are related to hair color © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

5. Goals of Psychology • Description of behavior using careful observations • Explanation involves identifying the cause(s) of behavior • Predictionallows for specification of the conditions under which a behavior will occur or not • Psychological knowledge can be used to assist changes in behavior © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

6. Psychological Research • Two forms of psychological research: • Basic research seeks answers for theoretical questions • E.g. How is hunger controlled by the brain? • Can be done in the lab ‘bench research’ • Applied research seeks answers for specific application problems • E.g. Organizational psychology studies leadership, job satisfaction, job training, and development • Often done in the field © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

7. Clinical Educational School Industrial/organiz-ational Developmental Social Comparative Neuropsychology Health psychology Cognitive Areas of Psychology © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

8. Sample Specialties in Psychology • Biopsychology – investigates the relationship between biology, behavior, and mental processes; looks at brain and nervous system • Clinical Psychology – specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of mental and behavioral disorders • Counseling Psychology – overlaps with clinical psychology; not in clinical setting; not as severe patient © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

9. Sample Specialties in Psychology • Developmental Psychology – studies the course of human growth and development from conception until death • School Psychology – studies the process of education; works to promote the welfare of children in schools • Industrial/Organizational Psychology – applies the principles of psychology to the workplace © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

10. Psychology Degrees By Area © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

11. Doing Research In Psychology!! The Scientific Method © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

12. Overview of the Scientific Method © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

13. The Experiment • An experiment involves a set of controlled conditions that aims to confirm a hypothesis • Hypothesisrefers to a statement of cause and effect: • “Higher environmental temperatures lead to more aggression” • “Exposure to marijuana increases appetite” © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

14. Experimental Variables • To test a hypothesis, an experimenter defines the variables of the hypothesis: • Cause: Independent variable (IV) • Marijuana: Plain cigarette versus cigarette containing 5 mg of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) • Effect: Dependent variable (DV) • Appetite: Grams of ice cream consumed in 1 hour • The experimenter manipulates the IV and measures the DV to test the hypothesis © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

15. Research Issues • Experimental Group • Control Group • Experimenter Bias • Double-Blind Study • Placebo • Random Assignment © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

16. Descriptive Research • Naturalistic observation refers to the systematic recording of behavior in a natural state or habitat • Jane Goodall observing apes in the wild • Surveysare instruments designed to sample attitudes or behaviors • Asking persons at a rally how they feel about animal rights issues • A case study is an in-depth study of a single person • Freud used the case study method to probe anxiety © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

17. Correlational Research • The correlation technique indicates the degree of association between 2 variables • Correlations vary in direction: • Positive association: • Negative association: • No relation: © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

18. Correlations • Correlations also vary in the strength of the association • Zero correlation: no relationship between the 2 variables • Strong correlation: knowing the value of one variable permits one to accurately estimate the value of the other variable • Strong correlation can be positive or negative • Correlations can be seen in scatter plots © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

19. Correlation Difficulties © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

20. Dissections Lesions Case studies Electrical recording Electrical stimulation Split-brain surgery CT scan PET scan MRI scan fMRI scan Biological Research © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

21. Ethical Issues in Research • Respecting the rights of human research participants involves: • Informed consent is an explanation of a study and the responsibilities of experimenter and participant • Deception involving the subjects must be justified • Confidentiality of study information must be maintained • Debriefingrefers to explaining the research process to the subjects at the end of the study • Animal research must be justified and must minimize discomfort to participants © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

22. Early Pioneers of Psychology • Experimental Psychology – (1870’s – 1880’s) Wilhelm Wundt – founder of experimental psychology Established first psychology laboratory in Germany Interested in studying the thought processes © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

23. Early Pioneers in Psychology • Structuralism • 1890’s • Edward Titchener, founder, one of Wundt’s followers • Brought study to U.S. • Studied thought processes, conscious mind © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

24. Early Pioneers in Psychology • Functionalism • 1890’s • William James, James Dewey • Investigated “functions” or purposes of behavior • Continued to study the conscious mind © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

25. Modern Psychology Views • Psychoanalytic • Sigmund Freud, Austrian Physician • Late 1800’s, early 1900’s • Study of the unconscious mind • Study of dreams; unconscious material that is brought to surface by counselor © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

26. Modern Psychology Views • Behaviorism • Early 1900’s • John Watson, B.F. Skinner • Emphasize observable behaviors, overt behaviors • Measure, scientifically study these behaviors © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E

27. Modern Psychology Views • Gestalt Psychology • Founded by Max Wertheimer • Early 1900’s • Believed in the importance of mental activities • Insisted that experience be studied as a “whole” © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Huffman: PSYCHOLOGY IN ACTION, 7E