Psychology Lecture 1:
Introduction to what psychologists study and research
methods
Instructions and expectations:
I will give you lecture outlines for every lecture.
On the tables, I will list all of the key terms that
will appear within the lecture.
It is your job to write down definitions so that
you have a complete glossary of terms.
The third column is for examples or questions or
thoughts you have during the lecture.
Term/question Def./answer
What is
psychology the
study of?
• Behavior
• Involunta
ry vs.
voluntary
• Mental
process
Examples,
extra notes
Term/question Def./answer
Psychology also
asks…
• nature
• nurture
Examples,
extra notes
Term/question Def./answer
What do
psychologists
do?
• intrapersonal
• interpersonal
Examples,
extra notes
Research Methods
A look at how psychologists conduct
research and some classic
psychology experiments
Jane Elliot’s blue eyes vs. brown eyes experiment
1. Research question:
2. Hypothesis:
Blue Eye experiment
3. Procedures
Day 1:
Day 2
End of day 2:
4. Observations/data
Blue Eye experiment
5. Elliot’s conclusions:
Blue Eye experiment
5 Main methods of Conducting
Research
You will take notes on your lecture outline
handout about 5 different methods used by
psychologists to test their hypothesis and learn
more about human behavior and mental
processes
Method
Case study
Naturalistic
observation
Surveys
How it works
Strengths
weaknesses
Method
How it works
Strengths
weaknesses
example
example
Correlation
studies
Negative
correlation
Positive
Method
Experiment
How it works
Strengths
weaknesses
Methods
• Research
question
• hypothesis
• Ethical
guidelines
• Debrief
definition
example
Methods
• Independent
variable
• Dependent
variable
• Control
group
definition
example
Topic: Classical Conditioning
Experiment: Pavlov and “Pavlovian Response”
Russian Dr. Ivan Pavlov, M.D. (1849-1936) studied effects of external environment on reflex
responses “Classical conditioning focuses on the learning of involuntary emotional or
physiological responses such as fear, increase heartbeat, salivation, or sweating,
which are sometimes called reflexes because they are automatic responses to
stimuli” *
1. Pavlov’s research
question: Can an
animal learn to
associate a neutral
stimulus with an
unconditioned
stimulus so that it has
a reflex response to
the neutral stimulus?
Classical conditioning terminology
 Conditioned response (CR) :The behavior that the experimenter is
trying to elicit from the subject
 salivation
 Neutral stimulus (NS): A stimulus (sight, sound, smell, feeling) that
does NOT elicit desired response prior to conditioning.
 Sound of bell
 Unconditioned stimulus (US): a stimulus that leads to an involuntary
response by a subject without any training.
 Food
• Acquisition is when the NS becomes conditioned stimulus (CS)
• After repeated paired exposures of NS and US, NS becomes CS
therefore subject begins behaving in same involuntary way it
would to unconditioned stimulus (US) after US has been removed
More classical conditioning terminology
1. Generalization: Stimulus similar to CS will elicit same CR
What would this look like in Pavlov’s
--Different
bells elicit salivation
experiment?
2. Discrimination: Animal learns to ignore stimuli that are
similar to CS if similar stimuli never
accompany original US
What would this look like in Pavlov’s
--Sound
of different bell NEVER paired with food
experiment?
3. Extinction: CR will stop after repeated exposure to CS
without US
What would
this look
like
in Pavlov’s
--Original
bell rung
many
times
withoutexperiment?
exposure to food
Video clip The Office Clip 2 “quack”
1920 John Watson experiment “Baby Albert” video
Identify the classical conditioning
variables in Quack and the Office
Quack
• NS: quack sound
• US:
feeling of dart hitting body
• UR:
• CS: flinching when hit
• CR: quack sound
flinching when hearing quack
The Office
 NS: computer reboot sound
 US: altoid on tongue
 UR:
refreshed tongue
 CS:
computer reboot sound
 CR:
tongue anticipating altoid
Watson’s little Albert experiment
• Procedures:
▫ US:
▫ NS:
▫ CR:
• Why is this considered an unethical experiment?
• What did Watson conclude based on data of his experiment?
Practical applications of Pavlovian Response
In simple terms: you can train an animal (and a person) to
respond in a desired way (perform a behavior or extinguish
a behavior!) by training the person to associate desired (or
undesired) behavior with a simple stimulus. For example:
▫ stop coyote from eating sheep by poisoning sheep
carcasses
▫ eliminating phobias through systematic desensitization –
Topic: Authority and Obedience
Experiment: Dr. Stanley Milgram’s
“shock” experiment
1. Research question:
2. Hypothesis:
3. Procedures:
a) Assign test subject role of teacher and confederate role of learner
b) Subject is told to deliver increasing voltage of electric shock to “memory
test learner” in adjacent room every time learner makes a mistake
c) As screams and pleads of “stop” are heard, subject is told by authority
figure (psychologist in labcoat) to “please continue.”
Topic: Authority and Obedience
Experiment: Dr. Stanley Milgram’s
“shock” experiment
4. Data
5. Conclusion:
*experiment has been criticized for not following
standard experimental protocol so data not
entirely valid
Topic: Conformity to social pressure
Experiment: Dr. Solomon Asch line experiments
1. Research question:
2. Hypothesis: (Unknown)
3. Procedures:
a.
b.
c.
d.
50 male college volunteers tested
Each test subject put into group with 7
confederates
Confederates told to lie about line in 12 of the 18
trials
Record response of test subject on each trial
4. Data:
5. Conclusion:
Topic: Bystander Apathy
Researchers: Darley and Latane
• Research question: Are people more or less
likely to help a stranger in need of help when
they are in a large group setting?
• Hypothesis: The presence of others lessens the
chance that any one person will help the
subject in need.
• Read the reading to find the procedures and
data and conclusions generated by Darley and
Latane’s experiments
Bystander effect (AKA apathy) : Why it happens…
Conclusions from Darley and Latane’s experiments
 General rule:
 WHY?
Topic: Social Learning (Observational Learning) Theory
Experiment: Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment
1. Research question: How much do social modeling and
reinforcement of behaviors affect an individual’s behaviors?
(Read handout to find procedures, data, and conclusions for your
notes chart)
Procedures
Data
Bandura’s data/findings
Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment
5. Conclusions
• “Do as I say, not as I do” does NOT work!!
▫ Actions speak louder than words because we are
mimickers
Topic: Operant Conditioning
Experiment: B.F. Skinner’s pigeon work
1. Research question: Does the environment shape animal
behavior?
2. Hypothesis: Animal behavior can be shaped through
reinforcement (reward) and punishment.
3. Procedures
a. Reward pigeon with food every time it performs a desired behavior
b. Punish pigeon with electric shock every time it performs undesired
behavior
4. Conclusions:
Practical Applications of Operant Conditioning
▫ Behavior modification (B-mod)– used in schools and by
parents to get desired behavior to occur and eliminate
undesirable behaviors
 Examples:
 Token economy—
▫ child earns stickers for good behavior that can be
exchanged for a toy or privilege
▫ prisoner earns points for good behavior that can be
exchanged for cigarettes/candy, extra privileges
 Teacher sticker charts/checks on board
Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
1. Zimbardo’s research
question: How does
environment and status
affect people’s behavior?
2. Hypothesis (unknown)
3-5 watch video for
procedures, observations,
and conclusions
Video
Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
3. Procedures
4. Data/observations
Zimbardo’s study: What was learned? CONCLUSIONS
• Guards will play one of 3 roles:
▫ Leader that tries to be mean, exploits power position
▫ Follower—goes along with leader’s cruelty
▫ Avoider—tries to ignore or escape the cruelty but does nothing to stop it
• Prisoners do one of the following:
▫ submit to will/authority of guards
▫ try to rebel through hunger strikes, active rebellion
▫ do NOT tend to band together against injustices of guards
▫ Conclusion: The environment can cause people to do “bad” things and be
quiet in face of injustice
• Unethical?
▫ Zimbardo should not have played role of warden
▫ Zimbardo failed to protect emotional well being of both guards and prisoners
Topic: The effects of “separate but equal”
policies on the psyche of black children
Experiment: Dr. Kenneth Clark “black doll or
white doll?”
• Research question: How young do children
who are labeled inferior internalize that label?
• Hypothesis: Policies like separate but equal and
Jim Crow laws lead to internalized self-hatred and
belief that one is inferior to white people
• Procedures:
a. Place a black doll and similar looking white doll in
front of a black child.
b. Ask the child which doll is the nice doll
c. Ask the child which doll is the prettier doll
What were the variables in the experiments we have
learned about?
• Zimbardo prison study
▫ IV:
▫ DV:
• Milgram study
▫ IV:
▫ DV:
• Asch’s conformity study
▫ IV:
▫ DV:
• Bandura’s Bobo doll study
▫ IV:
▫ DV:
What were the variables in the experiments we have
learned about?
• Blue eye experiment
▫ IV:
▫ DV:
• Black doll, white doll experiment
IV:
DV: