Chapter 1 – What is Psychology?
Section 1 – Why Study Psychology?
SO, WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?
o THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MENTAL
PROCESSES AND BEHAVIORS.
o “PSYCH” COMES FROM THE WORD
“PSYCHE” WHICH MEANS “THE
MIND.”
o “OLOGY” MEANS THE “STUDY OF.”
PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT
PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY
o “PSEUDO” MEANS “FALSE OR NOT
TRUE.”
o SO PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY IS A
FALSE OR UNSCIENTIFIC FORM OF
PSYCHOLOGY.
PSYCHOLOGY VS PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGY
o PSYCHOLOGY
o THEY MAKE
ATTEMPTS TO
PROVE THINGS
VALID, OR TRUE.
o PSYCHOLOGISTS,
LIKE SCIENTISTS,
USE THE
SCIENTIFIC
METHOD TO FIND
MEANING BEHIND
BEHAVIORS.
OBSERVATIONS,
HYPOTHESIS, AND
THEORIES.
o BEHAVIOR AND
MENTAL
PROCESSES CAN
BE SEEN THUS
THEY CAN BE
MEASURED
(SCIENTIFIC).
PSCYHOLOGY VS PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGY
o PSEUDO-
PSYCHOLOGIES
ATTEMPT TO
IDENTIFY WHAT
PEOPLE ARE LIKE
OR WHY PEOPLE
BEHAVE THE WAY
THEY DO.
o HOWEVER,
PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGIES
ARE DIFFICULT TO
MEASURE
SCIENTIFICALLY,
MAKING THEM
DIFFICULT TO
PROVE VALID, OR
TRUE.
FORMS OF PSCYHOLOGY
 I.Q.
(INTELLIGENCE)
TESTS
 TEST
POPULATIONS
(EXPERIMENTAL
AND CONTROL
GROUPS)
 INTERVIEWS AND
SURVEYS
 CASE STUDIES
FORMS OF PSEUDOPSYCHOLOGY
 PALMISTRY (PALM
READING)
 PSYCHICS
 NUMEROLOGY
(STUDY OF
NUMBERS ON
PERSONALITY)
 *ASTROLOGY
(STUDY OF THE
PLANETS ON
PERSONALITY)*
LET’S TEST THIS OUT!
WRITE DOWN YOUR
FAVORITE COLOR,
QUICKLY, WITHOUT
THINKING.
IS COLOROLOGY A PSYCHOLOGY
OR A PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY?
REMEMBER!!
o WAS THE DEMONSTRATION
CONVINCING EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT
A SCIENTIFIC CLAIM?
o DO THE PERSONALITY
DESCRIPTIONS AND HANDWRITING
SAMPLES HOLD UP WELL UNDER
SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY?
o WHAT WOULD MAKE IT SCIENTIFIC?
Ticket out the door (quiz time!)
 Please fill out the “Ticket out the Door” on the
back of the half sheet of paper I passed out.
 Be as specific as you can, being sure to use any
terms we spoke about today.
 Have a great day!
 End of section 1