Psychology in Action

Chapter 1: Introduction toPsychology & Its Research Methods

Introducing Psychology

What is Psychology? The scientific study of behavior & mental

processes.

Psychology focuses on critical thinking & is scientific.

Pseudopsychologies (e.g., psychics, mediums) are nonscientific.

Introducing Psychology: Psychology’s Four Goals

1. Description: tells “what” occurred2. Explanation: tells “why” a behavior or

mental process occurred3. Prediction: identifies conditions under

which a future behavior or mental process is likely to occur

4. Change: applies psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted behavior or to bring about desired goals

Applying Psychology To Work: Examples

Biopsychology/ Neuroscience

Clinical & Counseling Psychology

Cognitive Psychology Developmental

Psychology Educational & School

Psychology

Experimental Psychology

Forensic Psychology Gender/Cultural

Psychology Industrial/Organizational

Psychology Social Psychology

Careers in Psychology: Percentage of Psychology Degrees by Specialty

Origins of Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt: Considered to be the “father of psychology”

Developed the first psychological laboratory in Germany in 1879

Trained the first scientific psychologists His ideas would lead to multiple different

psychological perspectives:

Structuralism Functionalism Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Behavioral Humanistic Cognitive Neuroscience/Biopsychology Evolutionary Sociocultural

Your Job… Create point form notes on each of the

major perspectives identified on pages 10-13 of your textbook

Be sure to identify how each perspective seeks to explain human behavior, as well as particular scientists associated with each perspective

Structuralism: sought to identify the basic building blocks, or structures, of the mind through introspection – looking inward at basic sensations and feelings Edward Titchener = key leader Doomed to fail – no scientific way existed with

which to settle disputes

Origins of Psychology

Origins of Psychology Cont’d

Functionalism: studied how the mind functions to adapt organisms to their environment Asked Why? and How? Strongly influenced by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution

and the concept of natural selection William James = key leader

Origins of Psychology (Continued) Psychoanalytic/

Psychodynamic Perspective: unconscious processes & unresolved past conflicts between “acceptable” and “unacceptable” behaviors Freud = key founder Behaviors based on sexual

impulses Believed most of our development

occurred during childhood

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Origins of Psychology (Continued) Behavioral Perspective:

objective, observable environmental influences on behavior

Watson, Pavlov, & Skinner were key figures

Believed we could use external stimuli to shape human behavior

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy_mIEnnlF4B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)

Origins of Psychology (Continued) Humanistic Perspective: free will, self-actualization,

& a positive, growth-seeking human nature – self-actualization (when we reach our full potential)

Opposite to behaviorists Rogers & Maslow were key figures

Carl Rogers (1902-1987) Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)

Origins of Psychology (Continued)

Cognitive Perspective: studies how we gather, encode and store information such as problem solving, memory, language, & information processing

Neuroscience/ Biopsychology Perspective: studies how genetics & other biological processes in the brain & nervous system affect behavior

Origins of Psychology (Continued)

Evolutionary Perspective: argues that natural selection, adaptation, & evolution help to explain behavior

Sociocultural Perspective: social interaction & cultural determinants Show how factors such as ethnicity, religion,

occupation and SES impact behavior

Origins of Psychology: One Unifying Theme of Modern Psychology

Biopsychosocial model: combines all seven major perspectives

Views biological processes, psychological factors and social forces as interrelated influences on behavior

Why do you think psychologists & other scientists may need multiple

perspectives when it comes to understanding the unknown?

Pause & Pause & Reflect: Reflect: Critical Critical ThinkingThinking

Do See a Vase Or Two Faces? Multiple

perspectives allow psychologists to better understand research & complex behavior & mental processes.

Assignment: Outrageous Celebrities Choose one celebrity who has demonstrated

some “not-so-normal” behaviors in recent years Summarize the behaviors (explain what they

have been doing; identify at least 3 behaviors) Using the chart on page 14, explain how each of

the seven modern perspectives would explain the celebrity’s behaviors Ex. Freud may explain drinking or drug use to a past

conflict between the individual and their parent

The Science of Psychology

Research Methods

“What is research, but a blind date with knowledge” – William Henry

The Science of Psychology Basic Research: conducted to advance

scientific knowledge Knowledge for its own sake Typically conducted in universities or research labs Meets the first three goals of psychology – description,

explanation and prediction

Applied Research: designed to solve practical problems Meets the fourth goal of psychology – to change existing

real world problems

The Scientific Method

The Science of Psychology: Ethical Guidelines

Ethical Guidelines for Human Research Participants: • Informed consent• Voluntary participation• Restricted use of deception & Debriefing• Confidentiality• Alternative activities (for college credits)

The Science of Psychology: Ethical Guidelines (Continued)

Rights of Nonhuman Participants: Advocates believe nonhuman research offers significant scientific benefits. Opponents question these benefits & suggest nonhuman animals cannot give informed consent.

General Guidelines: Psychologists must maintain high standards for both human & nonhuman animal research.

Four key research methods:

1. Experimental

2. Descriptive

3. Correlational

4. Biological

Research Methods

Four Key Research Methods

1. Experimental Research: carefully controlled scientific procedure that manipulates variables to determine cause & effect

Key features of an experiment: Independent variable (factor that is

manipulated) versus dependent variable (factor that is measured)

Experimental group (receives treatment) versus control group (receives no treatment)

Does TV increase aggression? Only an experiment can determine cause & effect.

Research Methods—Experimental

Potential researcheresearcher problems:

Experimenter bias - researcher influences the research results in the expected direction

Solution = Double Blind Study Ethnocentrism - believing one's culture is

typical of all cultures May see impact of personal stereotypes

Research Methods—Experimental

Potential participantparticipant problems:

Sample bias - research participants are unrepresentative of the larger population

Solution = random sampling and random assignment

Participant bias - research participants are influenced by the researcher or experimental conditions

Ex. May be embarrassed so may lie

Research Methods—Experimental (Continued)

Research Methods—Descriptive

2. Descriptive Research: observes & records behavior without producing causal explanations

Three types of descriptive research: Naturalistic Observation - observation & recording of behavior in natural state or

habitat Survey - assessment of a sample or population Case Study - in-depth study of a single participant

What could be the advantage of studying psychological research methods like naturalistic observation?

What could be the disadvantage?

Pause & Reflect: Pause & Reflect: Psychology at Psychology at WorkWork

Research Methods—Correlational

3. Correlational Research: observes or measures (without directly manipulating) two or more variables to find relationships between them

Be Aware: Correlation does not imply causation Example Pg. 31 – ice cream consumption and drowning are highly

correlated. Does this mean eating ice cream causes people to drown? Of course not! A third factor, such as time of year, affects both ice cream consumption and time spent in the water

Research Methods—Correlational

Positive Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the same direction—either up or down

Ex. Studying for a test is positively correlated with higher test scores

Research Methods—Correlational

Negative Correlation: two variables move (or vary) in the opposite direction—either up or down

Ex. Missing more school decreases grades

Research Methods—Correlational

Zero Correlation: no relationship between two variables (when one variable increases, the other can increase, decrease, or stay the same)

Research Methods—Correlational

Research Methods—Correlational

Can you see why correlation can never show cause & effect?

Research Methods—Biological

4. Biological Research: scientific studies of the brain & other parts of the nervous system

Methods of Biological Research: Lesioning (systematically destroying brain tissue

to study the effects on behavior and mental processes)

Dissection Observation & Case Studies – particularly of

living people who have had injuries, diseases and disorders that affected brain functioning

Electrical Recordings of brain activity

Research Methods—Biological