HUMAN BEHAVIOR CHAPTER 1

Mr. Bermudez

WARM UP ACTIVITY Write a response to the following prompt

Imagine that you are a psychologist. Your client Linda, tells you that spirits live in the trees near her home. Is Linda suffering from a delusion? Is she abnormal? What would you write down in your Client Log?

OOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! DOES THAT MAKE SENSE NOW?????

Imagine that you are a psychologist. Your client Linda, who is a Native American, tells you that spirits live in the trees near her home. Is Linda suffering from a delusion? Is she abnormal?

WHAT’S WRONG? You will misjudge Linda’s mental health if you

fail to take her cultural beliefs into account.

Cultural relativity: the idea that behavior must be judged relative to the values of the culture in which it occurs.

“Cases like Linda’s teach us to be wary of using inappropriate standards when judging others or comparing groups.”

TESTING COMMON-SENSE BELIEFS

As a group open your text books to pg. 13

Look at the orange box titled, Critical Thinking

Read the bulleted common-sense beliefs Write down on a lined paper which ones are true

and which are false.Stop once you have reached the last bullet point

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? How would you explain psychology?

IdeasLeadersWhat’s it all about?

PSYCHOLOGY IS………… Psychology

Psyche: Mind Logos: Knowledge or study

Definition: The scientific study of behavior and mental processes Behavior: Overt (i.e., can be directly observed, as

with crying) Mental Processes: Covert (i.e., cannot be directly

observed, as with remembering)

ANYONE KNOW WHAT EMPIRICISM IS? ……………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Neither DID I!!!!!!!

EMPIRICISM: LETS TAKE A LOOK!!!!

In the past experts said: Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible Radio has no future X-rays are a hoax

Same issue in Psychology

To measure and describe behaviors

To gather empirical evidence: Information gained from direct observation and measurement

To gather data: Observed facts

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Scientific Observation: An empirical investigation that is structures so that it answers questions about the world

Research Method: A systematic approach to answering scientific questions

Okay I HAVE BORED YOU ENOUGH TODAY!!!!

DO NOW ACTIVITY Write a response to the following prompt

Should animals be used to study behavior? Why or why not might this be beneficial?

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY MINI-PROJECT

Using your data, work with the person next to you.

You shall compile both of your subject’s statements, and create a poster.

You shall look for images online to illustrate what your patients believe psychology is.

Please be sure to type out each of your clients responses.

CRITICAL THINKING Ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize

information What you expect to see if the claim were true? Gather evidence relevant to the claim Evaluate the evidence Draw a conclusion

Often used in research

CRITICAL THINKING: KEY PRINCIPLES Few truths transcend the need for empirical testing

Evidence varies in quality

Authority or claimed expertise does not automatically make an idea true

Critical thinking requires an open mind

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY? Description of Behaviors: Naming and classifying

various observable, measurable behaviors

Understanding: Being able to state the causes of a behavior

Prediction: Predicting behavior accurately

Control: changing conditions that influence behaviors Positive use: control unwanted behaviors (smoking, tantrums)

Negative use: control people’s behaviors without their knowledge

HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY Goal: Learn about one of the many branches of

psychology

Task: We’re heading INTO THE LAB!Your task is to become an expert in your selected field.

You must research the assigned topic with a group

Answer essential questions

Identify key people, ideas, AND EXPERIEMENTS!

Create a PowerPoint with definitions and illustrations

But find a simple experiment you can use on your classmates.

READING CHECK QUIZ Answer the questions from what you

have learned over the past few days.

PSYCHOLOGISTS-GUARANTEED NOT TO SHRINK

What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

About $30 an hour. (and going up!)

MANY FLAVORS OF PSYCHOLOGY Psychologists: master’s/doctorate degree;

trained in methods, knowledge, and theories of psychology

Clinical psychologists: Treat more severe psychological problems or do research on mental disorders

Counseling psychologists: Treat milder problems, such as school or work troubles

Both treat human EMOTIONAL difficulties

MORE HELPING PROFESSIONALS

Psychiatrists: MD; use medications to treat peoples problems; generally do not have extensive training in providing “talk” therapy

Psychoanalysts: Receive additional training post-PhD or MD at an institute for psychoanalysis

SOME MORE HELPING PROFESSIONALS

Psychiatric social worker: Mental health professional who applies social science principles to help people in clinics and hospitals Presently a very popular profession

Counselor: Advisor who helps solve problems with marriage, school, and so on

Not all psychologists perform therapy!

DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY: IS A CAREER IN PSYCHOLOGY RIGHT FOR YOU?

Open up to page 27

Read the green box

Answer all the questions (HONESTLY)

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD Form of critical thinking based on careful measurement

and controlled observation

Six Basic Elements Observation Defining a problem Proposing a hypothesis (an educated guess that can be

tested) Gathering evidence/testing the hypothesis Publishing results Building a theory

SOME BORING TERMS Hypothesis Testing: Scientifically testing the predicted

outcome of an experiment or an educated guess about the relationship between variables

Operational Definition: Defines a scientific concept by stating specific actions or procedures used to measure it

THEORY

Theory: A system of ideas that interrelates facts and concepts, summarizes existing data, and predicts future observations A good theory must be falsifiable (i.e., operationally

defined) so that it can be disconfirmed

NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION Observing a person or an animal in the

environment in which they/it live(s)

PROBLEMS

Observer effect: Changes in subject’s behavior caused by an awareness of being observed

Observer bias: Occurs when observers see what they expect to see or record only selected details

ANTHROPOMORPHIC FALLACY

Anthropomorphic fallacy: Attributing human thoughts, feelings, or motives to animals, especially as a way of explaining their behavior (e.g., “Anya, my cat, is acting lethargic because she’s feeling depressed today.”)

EXPERIMENTS

To identify cause-and-effect relationships, we conduct experiments

Directly vary a condition you might think affects behavior

Create two or more groups of subjects, alike in all ways except the condition you are varying

Record whether varying the condition has any effect on behavior

VARIABLES Any conditions that can change, and might affect an

experiment's outcome

Independent variable: Condition(s) altered by the experimenter; experimenter sets their size, amount, or value; these are suspected causes for behavioral differences

Dependent variable: Demonstrates effects that independent variables have on behavior

EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES Conditions that a researcher wants to prevent

from affecting the outcomes of the experiment (e.g., number of hours slept before the experiment)

EXPERIMENTAL GROUP The group of subjects that gets exposed to the

independent variable

CONTROL GROUP The group of subjects that gets all conditions

EXCEPT the independent variable

RANDOM ASSIGNMENT Subject has an equal chance of being in either the

experimental or control group

EVALUATING EXPERIMENTS’ RESULTS Statistically significant: Results gained would occur

very rarely by chance alone. The difference must be large enough so that it would occur by chance in less than 5 experiments out of 100

Meta-analysis: Study of results of other studies

PLACEBO A fake pill (sugar) or injection (saline)

Placebos alter our expectations about our own emotional and physical reactions

If placebo has any effect, might be based on suggestion, not chemistry

PLACEBO EFFECT Changes in behavior that result from belief that

one has ingested a drug

These expectancies then influence bodily activities

Herbal remedies may be based on placebo effect

EXPERIMENT TYPES Single-blind experiment: subjects are unaware

if they get real treatment or placebo

Double-blind experiment: The subjects AND the experimenters have no idea whether the subjects get real treatment or placebo

EXPERIMENTER EFFECTS Experimenter effects: Changes in behavior

caused by the unintended influence of the experimenter

Self-fulfilling prophecy: A prediction that leads people to act in ways to make the prediction come true Common problem

THE CLINICAL METHOD Case study: In-depth focus on all aspects of a single

person

Natural clinical tests: Natural events, such as accidents, that provide psychological data

Survey method: Using public polling techniques to answer psychological questions

SAMPLING Representative sample: Small group that

accurately reflects a larger population Population: Entire group of animals or people belonging

to a particular category (e.g., all married women)

Internet surveys: Web-based research; low cost and can reach many people

PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES Pseudo means “false.” Any unfounded “system”

that resembles psychology and is NOT based on scientific testing

Palmistry: Lines on your hands (palms) predict future and reveal personality

Phrenology: Personality traits revealed by shape of skull

PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES (CONT)

Graphology: Personality traits are revealed by your handwriting

Astrology: The positions of the stars and planets at birth determine personality traits and affect your behavior

PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES: SOME CONCEPTS

Uncritical acceptance: Tendency to believe positive or flattering descriptions of yourself

Fallacy of positive instances: When we remember or notice information that confirms our expectations and forget the discrepancies

Open to page 44 Your Personality Profile

THE BARNUM EFFECT

Barnum effect: Tendency to consider personal descriptions accurate if stated in general terms

Always have a little something for everyone. Make sure all palm readings, horoscopes, etc. are so general that something in them will always apply to any one person!