The Science of Psychology
Chapter 1
LO 1.1 Definition and goals of psychology
What is Psychology?
• Psychology - scientific study of
behavior and mental processes.
• Behavior - outward or overt
actions and reactions.
• Mental processes - internal,
covert activity of our minds.
• Psychology is a science
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LO 1.1 Definition and goals of psychology
Psychology’s Four Goals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM
1.
Description
• What is happening?
2. Explanation (theory)
• Why is it happening?
3. Prediction
• Will it happen again?
4. Control
• How can it be changed?
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In the Beginning
• Relatively new field approximately 125 years old
• Influenced by:
• Philosophers- interested in understanding the
human mind and its connection to physical body
• Medical doctors and physiologists- interested in
the physical connection between body and brain
The Philosophers
• Aristotle- Believed the soul and body were aspects
of same structure
• Plato- Believed soul could exist separately of body
• Rene Descartes- Agreed with Plato and believed
pineal gland was the seat of the soul
LO 1.2
Structuralism and functionalism
Structuralism
• Structuralism - focused on structure or basic
elements of the mind.
• Wilhelm Wundt’s psychology laboratory
• Germany in 1879
• Developed the technique of objective
introspection
• Edward Titchener
• Wundt’s student; brought structuralism to America.
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LO 1.2
Structuralism and functionalism
Functionalism
• Functionalism - how the mind allows people to
adapt, live, work, and play.
• Proposed by William James.
• Interested in the importance of consciousness to
everyday life rather than analysis of it
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LO 1.3
Early Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism
Gestalt Psychology
• Gestalt – “An organized Whole”
psychology.
• Started with Wertheimer, who studied
sensation and perception.
• Believed that psychological events
(i.e., perceiving and sensing) could not
be broken down into any smaller
elements and still be understood
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Gestalt Psychology
LO 1.3
Early Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism
Psychoanalysis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj2JFI4BsRQ&feature=related
• Freud- Neurologist (specialized in disorders of the
nervous system)
• Proposed there was an unconscious mind for
which we push, or repress, all of our threatening
urges and desires
• The repressed urges, in trying to surface,
created the nervous disorders in patients
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LO 1.3
Early Gestalt, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism
Behaviorism
• Behaviorism - the science of behavior that focuses
on observable behavior only.
• Proposed by John B. Watson.
• Based much from work of Ivan Pavlov who
demonstrated that a reflex could be conditioned
(learned).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpoLxEN54ho&feature=related
• Watson believed that phobias were learned.
• Case of “Little Albert” – taught to fear a white
rat.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0ucxOrPQE
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LO 1.4 Modern perspectives Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers
Modern Perspectives
1. Psychodynamic perspective –
• Unconscious mind influences
behaviors
• Development of sense of self and
discovery of motivations
2. Behavioral perspective –
• All behavior is learned
• Operant conditioning
• Reinforcement
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LO 1.4 Modern perspectives Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers
Modern Perspectives
3. Humanistic perspective
• Free will- freedom to chose
destiny
• Early founders:
• Abraham Maslow
• Carl Rogers
• Self-actualization - achieving
one’s full potential or actual self.
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LO 1.4 Modern perspectives Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers
Modern Perspectives
4. Cognitive perspective –
•
Focuses on memory, intelligence,
perception, problem solving, and
learning.
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Modern Perspectives
4. Sociocultural perspective –
http://www.betterdaystv.net/play.php?vid=19442
•
Focuses on the
relationship between
social behavior and
culture.
LO 1.4 Modern perspectives Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers
Modern Perspectives
6. Biopsychological perspective –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKk96kOAnLg
• Behavior attributed to genetic
influences, hormones, and the activity
of the nervous system.
6. Evolutionary perspective –
• focuses on the biological bases of
universal mental characteristics
• Behavior seen as having an adaptive
or survival value.
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LO 1.6
Psychology is a science; steps in scientific method
Psychology and the Scientific Method
•
Scientific method - system of gathering data so that
bias and error in measurement are reduced.
•
Steps in the Scientific Method:
1. Perceive the question
2. Form a hypothesis
3. Test hypothesis
4. Draw conclusions
5. Report your results so that others can try to
replicate it
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LO 1.7
Naturalistic and laboratory settings
Descriptive Methods
• Naturalistic observation
• Advantage:
• Realistic picture of behavior
• Disadvantages:
• Observer effect – tendency of observer to
influence behavior
• Observer bias - tendency of observers to see
what they expect to see
• Each naturalistic setting is unique and
observations may not hold true.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIG6EMVy6zs&feature=related
LO 1.7
Naturalistic and laboratory settings
Descriptive Methods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY&feature=related
• Laboratory observation – observing
behavior in a laboratory setting.
• Advantages:
• Control, allows use of
specialized equipment.
• Disadvantage:
• Artificial situation that may result in
artificial behavior.
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LO 1.8
Case studies and surveys
Descriptive Methods
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc213mMSsjY&feature=related
• Case study - study of one individual in great detail.
• Advantage: tremendous amount of detail.
• Disadvantage: cannot apply to others.
• Famous case study: Phineas Gage.
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LO 1.8
Case studies and surveys
Descriptive Methods
• Surveys – method involving a series of questions
• Representative sample - randomly selected from a
larger population of subjects.
• Population - the entire group
• Advantages:
• Data from large numbers of people.
• Study covert behaviors.
• Disadvantages:
• Have to ensure representative sample
• People are not always accurate (courtesy bias).
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Descriptive Methods
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Have you ever stolen a street sign
before?
Would you rather be attacked by a
big bear or a swarm of bees?
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Do you chew your pens and
pencils?
What is your Song of the week?
Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
Do you still watch cartoons?
Whats your least favorite movie?
What movies could you watch over
and over and still love?
Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Ran out of gas?
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When you were a kid, what did you
dress up as for Halloween?
How many languages can you
speak?
Afraid of heights?
Sing in the car?
Dance in the car?
Occupations you wanted to be when
you were a kid?
Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?
First concert?
Can you curl your tongue?
Own any record albums?
Own a record player?
What was the last concert you saw?
Random Sampling from
Population
INFERENCE
POPULATION
SAMPLE
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LO 1.9 Correlational technique
Finding Relationships
• Correlation - a measure of the relationship between
two variables
• Variable- anything that can change or vary.
• Correlation coefficient (r) represents two things:
• direction of the relationship.
• strength of the relationship.
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LO 1.9 Correlational technique
Finding Relationships
• Positive correlation – variables are related in the same
direction.
• As one increases, the other increases; as one
decreases, the other decreases.
• Negative correlation – variables are related in opposite
direction.
• As one increases, the other decreases.
• CORRELATION DOES NOT PROVE CAUSATION
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•
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155004/?tab=playlist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dbDJzDV1CM&feature=related
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LO 1.10 Experimental approach and terms
The Experiment
• Experiment- manipulation of a variable to
see the effects of another variable
• Shows cause-and-effect relationships.
• Operational definition – objective
definition of a variable (enables it to be
directly measured).
• Independent variable (IV) – manipulated
variable
• Dependent variable (DV) – effected
variable
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LO 1.10 Experimental approach and terms
Experiment
• Experimental group – Group subjected to
independent variable.
• Control group – group not subjected to independent
variable (controls for confounding variables).
• Random assignment - process of assigning to group
randomly, equal chance of being in either group.
• Controls for confounding (extraneous, interfering)
variables.
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LO 1.10 Experimental approach and terms
Random Assignment
Experimental Group
SAMPLE
Test for Differences
Control Group
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LO 1.11 Placebo and the experimenter effects
The Experiment
• Placebo effect – participants’ expectations influence
how they behave.
• Single-blind study- subjects do not know what
group they are in.
• Experimenter effect- experimenter influences the
results of the study.
• Double-blind study - neither the experimenter nor
the subjects know the subjects’ group
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LO 1.12 Conducting a real experiment
Example of a Real Experiment
• Hypothesis
• Independent variable
• Dependent variable
• Experimental group
• Control group
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