Psychology Quiz(true or false)

1. Psychologists can read people’s minds.2. The closer the genetic relationship between

two people, the closer their IQ scores are likely to be.

3. Psychologists manipulate people like puppets.

4. People cannot change-they are the way they are.

5. Substance abuse may be a sign of mental illness.

6. A therapist may prescribe medication to patients who are diagnosed with a mental illness.

7. An estimated 54 million Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder in a given year.

8. Many people develop fears of various creatures even though they have had no direct negative experiences with them.

9. Body temperature does not remain a steady 98.6 degrees throughout the day.

10.The world wide web was modeled on the way the human brain works.

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

1 2 3 4 5 6

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Number of Correct Answers

Mint Effect on Quiz Scores

Control Group

Experimental Group

Hypothesis: If students are given mint gum while taking a quiz, then they will get a larger number of correct responses than their non-mint gum chewing classmates.

Results:

Mint Gum Quiz Results

44

40

# of correct responses

Experimental GroupControl Group

GUM

NO GUM

# of correct responses possible =120

What is Psychology?

Unit 1

OverviewThe science of psychologyOrigins of psychologyPsychological perspectivesWhat psychologists doCritical and scientific thinkingCorrelationsThe experimentEvaluating findings

Psychology is not…

1. Pop psychology, Psychobabble, (pseudoscience & quackery)Self-help books, talk shows

2. Astrology, graphology, psychics…

3. Common sense

Psychology is:The study of behavior and

mental processes Based on empirical

evidence- relying on evidence gathered by careful observation, experimentation, or measurement

Origins of PsychologyI. Origins of Psychology

a) Ancient Egyptians, Aristotle (300 BC), and Greek philosophers

b) Psychology- combo of two Greek words-psyche meaning “mind” and logos meaning “study” or “knowledge”

c) Develops out of other fieldsd) Wilhelm Wundt- father of psychology; launched the 1st

experiment in Leipzig, Germany in 1879 (birth year of psych)

Introspection; est. structuralisme) Edward B. Titchener-

a) Structuralism- goal is to study conscious experience and its structure through experiments and introspection; explain structure of the mind by breaking it down mental experiences into their component parts

Wilhelm Wundt

Origins of Psychologye) Gestalt psychology-integrate pieces of

information into meaningful wholes (the whole is different than the sum of its parts)

f) William James- How the mind works in allowing an organism

to adapt to its environment; wrote 1st psych text; founded functionalism

g) Sigmund Freud Psychoanalysis-explains personality and

behaviors through unconscious motives and conflicts

h) Behaviorism Study only observable behaviors not mental

processes (John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner)

i) Phrenology – Dr. Joseph Gall i) Phineas Gage

Freud's couch

Origins of Psychologyi) Old perspectives

Functionalism (William James)Early approach that emphasized the function or purpose of behavior and consciousnessInterested in how and why something happensFunctionalists broadened field of psychology to include the study of children, animals, religious experiences, and stream of consciousness

Structuralism (Wundt, Titchner)Structure of the conscious experience could be understood by analyzing the basic elements of thoughts & sensationsTry to understand structure by analyzing intensity, clarity and quality of its basic parts

Psychoanalysis (Freud)A theory of personality and a method of psychotherapy, originally formulated by Sigmund FreudEmphasizes unconscious motives and conflicts

Contemporary Psychological Perspectives

1. Biological perspective

2. Learning (behavior) perspective

3. Cognitive perspective

4. Sociocultural perspective

5. Psychodynamic perspective6. Humanist Perspective

How do we choose mates? Who do you find attractive?

1. Choose a celebrity with outrageous behavior.

2. Focus in on a specific behavior.

3. Examine and record why the celebrity exhibits this behavior from all six perspectives.

The Biological Perspective~Psychological approach that focuses on how bodily events affect behavior, feelings, and thoughts•Follows the tradition of functionalism

This perspective involves:•Hormones & glands•Brain chemistry•Heredity-genetic factors•Evolutionary influences

Evolutionary Psychology- functional behavior of the past is reflected in present behaviors, mental processes, & traits•adaptation

Learning Perspective(Behavioral Perspective)A psychological approach that

emphasizes how the environment and experience affect a person’s or animal’s actions.

This perspective involves: Behaviorism

Rewards and punishments maintain or discourage specific behaviors

The Cognitive Perspective

•Psychological approach that emphasizes what goes on in people’s heads (mind)

Involves: •Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language•Perceptions and thoughts influence our behavior

The Sociocultural Perspective•Psychological approach that emphasizes social and cultural forces outside the individual

This perspective involves:–Ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status influence our behavior–Social psychology or the study of rules, roles, groups, and relationships–Cultural psychology or the study of cultural norms, values, and expectations

The Psychodynamic Perspective•Psychological approach that emphasizes unconscious dynamics within the individual, such as inner forces, conflicts, or the movement of instinctual energy; f

This perspective involves:oUnconscious thoughts, desires, conflictsoEarly childhood experiencesoSelf-awareness

The Humanist Perspective•emphasizes personal growth and the achievement of human potential, rather than the scientific understanding of behavior

This approach involves:–Self-concept–People make free and conscious choices based on their unique experiences–Emphasized creativity and achieving potential

What Psychologists DoI. Basic Research- seeks knowledge for its own sake; teach and conduct research

a) Biological psychologists (neuropsychologists)b) Developmental psychologistsc) Cognitive psychologistsd) Experimental/research psychologistse) Social psychologists

II. Applied Research- tackles practical problems; concerned with finding uses for knowledge

a) Industrial/organizational, forensic, sports, educational, school, & consumer psychologists

b) Counseling psychologists- help people cope with challengesc) Clinical psychologists (clinician) - assess and treat mental, emotional &

behavioral disorders; most common 52% of psychologistsd) Psychiatrists- provide psychotherapy, MD’s licensed to prescribe drugs &

treat physical causes of psychological disorders

Work in colleges and universities

Critical and Scientific ThinkingI. Critical thinking- does

not accept arguments and conclusions. Does examine assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assess conclusions.

II. Scientific Method- In psych the question should be in an If…then Format.

Research StrategiesInclude:

1) Case studies2) Observational studies3) Correlational study4) Surveys5) Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Studies6) experiments

1) Case Studies- A research technique in which one person is

studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

1. Prone to bias2. May not apply to other people or

situations3. Examples: Genie-child abuse/language

acquisition; patients with brain injury

2) Observational Studies- Researchers observe and record behavior without

interfering with behavior 2 types:

1. Naturalistic observation Observe people or animals in their natural

environment2. Laboratory observation

Observe behavior in a controlled settinga) confirmation bias- tendency to search

for information that confirms a preconception

b) Participant bias-research participants behave in a certain way because they know they are being observed or they believe they know what the researcher wants

3) Correlational study- A research project strategy that

investigates the degree to which two variables are related to each other

Correlation- A statistical measure of how strongly two variables are related to one

another. Correlational coefficients can range from 0.0 – 1.0.

Positive correlationsAn association between increases in one variable and increases in another, or decreases in one variable and decreases in the other.Negative correlationsAn association between increases in one variable and decreases in another.

Correlations show patterns, not causes.

Correlations can be represented by scatterplots.

4) Surveys- Allows researchers to collect a

large amount of data efficiently through questionnaires and/or interviews

Survey method- research technique that questions a sample of people to collect information about their attitudes or behaviors

Random sample- represents a population because each member of the population has an equal chance of being included

5) Longitudinal and Cross-sectional studies

Useful to developmental psychologists to study how individuals change throughout the lifetime

Longitudinal study- research that follows the same group of individuals over a long period of time

Cross-sectional study- research that compares individuals from different age groups at one time.

6) Experiments A research method in which the

researcher manipulates and controls certain variables to observe the effect on other variables. An experiment includes variables of interest, control conditions, and random assignment.

Experiment Steps 1. Hypothesis-testable prediction2. Operational definitions:

explanation of the exact procedure3. Random selection4. Random assignment (experimental

& control)5. Experiment6. Identify the effects of the variables7. analysis

Variables:Independent variables -variables the experimenter manipulates; the variable that should cause something to happenDependent variables -variables the experimenter predicts will be affected by manipulations of the independent variable(s); variable that should show the effect of changing the independent variableConfounding variable- variable that could change the dependent variable

Experimenter effects: Unintended changes in subjects’ behavior due to cues inadvertently given by the experimenter.

Strategies for preventing experimenter effects include:single- blind studies: double-blind studies:

Control Group: In an experiment, a comparison condition in which subjects are not exposed to the same treatment as in the experimental condition.

In some experiments, the control group is given a placebo, an inactive substance or fake treatment.

Experimental Group: participants who are exposed to the treatment.

Data Analysis

• Is the hypothesis supported?• Are the results statistically significant?

– If the result would occur by chance alone is no more than 5%

• Can the results be replicated?