Unit 1
History & Approaches
AP Psychology
Mrs. VanCoughnett
I. Psychology, Defined
Comprised of multiple
fields: philosophy,
physiology, & biology
1800’s1920’s
“science of mental life”
“science of observable
behavior”
1920’s1960’s
TODAY
“the science of
behavior and mental
processes”
II. Roots of Psychology
A. Pre-Scientific Ideas
Figure
Knowledge is…
Mind & Body
are…
Other
Socrates
innate
separate
Plato
innate
separate
Aristotle
experiential
connected
Rene Descartes
innate
separate
Primitive
understanding of
nerves
John Locke
experiential
connected
“blank slate”
III. Schools
A. Structuralism
1. Wundt & Titchener
a. Introspection
b. Needed smart, verbal people
c. 1st psychology lab (Wundt, Germany, 1879)
B. Functionalism
1. James
a. Adaptive nature of mental processes & behavior
b. Explored “streams of consciousness”
III. Schools
C. Gestalt
1. Wertheimer
a. “The whole is different from the sum of its parts”
b. Primarily deals with perception
D. Psychoanalytic
1. Freud
a. Abnormal psychology
b. Unconscious drives, sex, dreams
III. Schools
E. Behaviorism
1. Watson & Skinner
a. Focus on OBSERVABLE behaviors
b. learning
III. Contemporary Psychology
A. Psychology is growing & globalizing
1. Psychologists in 69 different countries
work, teach, and do research
2. Perspectives
a. See handout or P. 9 in your
text
III. Contemporary Psychology
B. Subfields of Psychology
1. Basic Researchers:
a.
b.
Seek to increase scientific knowledge
Ex: Biological, Developmental, Cognitive, Personality, &
Social psychologists
2. Applied Researchers
a.
b.
Study to solve practical problems
Ex: Industrial/Organizational psychologists
3. Clinical Psychologists
a.
b.
Studies, assesses, and treats those with psychological
disorders with therapy
Clinical Psychologists vs. psychiatrists = medical doctors
who can provide physical/medicinal treatments
IV. BIG Questions!
A. Nature vs. Nurture
1. Biology OR experience
B. BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL  complimentary outlooks
V. Science vs. Common Sense
A. Hindsight bias – “I knew it all along!”
B. Overconfidence
C. Science combines 3 attributes
1. Skepticism
2. Curiosity
3. Humility
VII. Scientific Method
A. Theory: a possible or scientifically
acceptable general principle or body of
principles offered to explain phenomena
B. Hypothesis: testable predictions
C. Operational Definitions: precise wording of
variables so that study can be replicated
(repeated)
VIII. Methods of Research
A. Descriptive
1. Purpose: To observe & record behavior
2. No manipulation of variables
Method
Aim
Strengths
Weaknesses
Case Study
Examine one, apply
to all
•Saves resources
•Atypical individuals
•Emotional stories
overwhelm
Survey
Personal reports on
behaviors/opinions
•Less in-depth
•Larger population
•Untrue answers
•No responses
Naturalistic
Observation
Record behaviors in
natural environment
•More genuine
•Researcher
presence may affect
results
VIII. Methods of Research
3. Longitudinal Study
a) Group of subjects is observed over an extended
period of time
b) +: same subjects / -: cost and time
4. Cross-Sectional Study
a) Examines representative sample of subjects at one
specific time
b) Not as accurate as longitudinal
VIII. Methods of Research
B. Correlation
1. Purpose: detect natural relationships and how
well one variable might PREDICT another
2. Correlation DOES NOT mean CAUSATION!!!
3. Correlation Coefficient: statistical strength of
relations of one variable to another
a. +1.00 (positive) -1.00 (negative)
b. Closer to +1 or -1, the stronger the correlation
Positive Correlation (+1.00)
is a direct relationship
Negative Correlation (-1.00)
is an inverse relationship
VIII. Methods of Research
C. Experiments
1. Purpose: isolate cause & effect of variables by
manipulating some & holding others constant
2. Random Assignment-helps control extraneous
(confounding) variables
3. Placebo Effect: reacting as though one was
given the treatment when they weren’t
Ex: Sugar pills for real medication
4. Single-Blind vs. Double-Blind Experiments
5. Control vs. Experimental Group
6. Independent vs. Dependent Variables
VIII. Methods of Research
IX. Statistics
A. Organization & Analysis of collected data
B. Measures of Central Tendency – single score
representing group of scores
1. Mean, Median, Mode
C. Measures of Variation
1. Range – gap between low/high score
2. Standard Deviation – indiv. scores differ from mean
D. Normal Curve (see Appendix A, pg A-3, & handout)
E. Statistical Significance (p<.05)
IX. Statistics
F. How is Data graphically represented?
1. Frequency Distribution
2. Histogram
3. Scatterplot (correlation)
X. Ethics
A. Informed Consent
B. Confidentiality
C. No harm or discomfort
D. Debriefing
Exceptions! – If subject is harming self or others
E. Unethical Experiments:
– Stanley Milgram Obedience
– Tuskegee Syphilis
– Stanford Prison Study
Every institution (college,
university, etc) must have an
Institutional Review Board
(IRB) which approves all
research checking for ethics
and methods.
XI. Stanley Milgram
Teacher gives Student
successively higher amounts
of electric shock when prompted
by researchers.