Understanding Psychology: Foundations, Methods, and Applications
This comprehensive overview introduces psychology as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It outlines key concepts such as behavior, cognition, and the goals of psychology—observing, explaining, predicting, and controlling behavior. Various types of psychologists and their roles are defined, alongside historical perspectives from Socrates to contemporary methods. The text also discusses the scientific method in psychological research, emphasizing the importance of various research methods, including descriptive research and experimentation, in understanding human behavior and mental processes.
Understanding Psychology: Foundations, Methods, and Applications
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Presentation Transcript
Unit One What is Psychology? Ch. 1
Psychology • Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes • Behavior- any action that other people can observe and/or measure • Cognition- mental processes that are unseen • Memory, dreams, perception, thoughts
Psychology • Goals • Observe/Describe- • taking measurements and recording • Explain- • determine the how and whys of behavior • Predict- • make judgments on future behavior by using data of past events • Control/change- • use behaviors of individuals to help accomplish goals
Psychology • IS a SOCIAL SCIENCE • Deal with structure of human society and the nature and interactions of the individuals that make up society…(and animals) • Psychology specifically focuses on behaviors and mental processes of individuals in a society. • We use basic science (research for knowledge sake) and applied science (use of basic science)
Part 2 What do Psychologists DO?
Psychologists • Three types of Psychologists • Psychiatrists • Observe, identify and treat psych issues with medicine and therapy • Clinical Psychologists • Observe, identify and overcome psychological issues • Counseling Psychologists • Identify and help clarify everyday issues
Types of Psychologists • School- identify issues that interfere with learning • Educational- concerned with theoretical issues in learning • Developmental- study changes throughout the life span • Personality- identify characteristics of people • Social- focus on individuals in groups • Experimental- conduct research into basic human processes • I/O- focus on increasing productivity in the workplace • Environmental- focus on relationship b/w individuals and their environments • Consumer- focus on how people shop • Forensic- focus on criminal behavior • Health- focus on how mental states affect physical health
Part 3 A History of Psychology
Roots of Psychology • Philosophy of Ancient Greeks were the building blocks of modern Psychology • Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Hippocrates • Birth of Modern Science • People began to theorize about life on earth using empirical research. • Birth of Psychology as a science • Wilhelm Wundt 1879 Leipzig, Germany • Established the first psych experiment • Experimented with human sensation and awareness • And so, Psychology birthed many schools of thought to explain behavior
Psychological Perspectives • Structualism(Wundt and Tichner) • Focused on basic elements of consciousness • Functionalism (James) • Consciousness is a continuous stream and served the purpose of adaptability • Gestalt (Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler) • Learning is active and purposeful, perceptions are more than the sums of their parts
Perspectives • Behaviorism/Learning (Pavlov, Skinner, Watson) • We learn behavior via observable responses • Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (Freud, Jung) • Motivated by unconscious conflicts • Cognitive (Piaget, Vygotsky) • How we think shapes what we do • Humanistic (Maslow, Rogers) • Motivated by need to belong and personal growth • Socio-Cultural • Our environment shapes who we are • Biological • Our mind and body determine behaviors
Unit One Psychological Methods Ch.2
Conducting Research • Quick Review for YOU! • What are the goals of Psychology? • Observe, Explain, Predict and Change • We use __________science when conducting research • We use ___________science when we use the research already conducted.
Conducting Research • The scientific method…yup, you know this. • Question • What are you interested in finding out? • Hypothesis • What do you think you will find out? • Research • Which method of research is best? • What are the operational definitions? • Analyzing • Organizing all the data • Conclusions • What does all your data say? • Replicate
Research Methods • Descriptive Research • Case Study • Longitudinal • Cross-Sectional • Observations • Naturalistic/Laboratory • Surveys • Population • Sample
Research Example: Survey • Q- Are Hough Students Happy? • H- yes, due to their personal and educational environments. • R- Survey • Operational Definitions- • Population- Hough High Students • Sample- 200 students • Randomization- ask 9,10,11 and 12th grade English teachers to pass out surveys in class
Interpreting Descriptive Research • Correlation • Measure of relatedness • Predicts Behavior • Correlation Coefficient • Determines strength and direction of relationship • A Number ranging from -1 to +1 • 1 indicating a strong relationship • 0 indicating no relationship • Positive- Variables move together • Negative- Variables move opposite
Research Methods • Experiment • Proves Cause and Effect • Components of an Experiment • Independent Variable • Dependent Variable • Placebo • Groups • Experimental Group • Control Group • Decreasing Bias • Random Assignment • Single-Blind Study • Double-Blind Study
Research Methods • Analyzing Results • Organization • Frequency Distribution Charts • Measures of Central Tendency • Mean, Median and Mode • Interpretation • Graphs • Measures of Variability • Range and Standard Deviation
Practice • Is there a relationship between the number of hours a person spends studying and his/her test grade?
Practice • With the following information, please answer the following: • Create a Frequency Distribution Chart to organize data • Create a scatter plot to determine the correlation between hours studying and test grade. • Label each axis accordingly. • What type of correlation is shown? _________________ • Would you say it was a strong correlation? • Determine the mean, median and mode of the test scores. Which is the best measure of central tendency and why? • Determine the mean, median and mode of the hours spent studying. Which is the best measure of central tendency and why? • What is the range of scores on the test?