Chapter 1 Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Key

Chapter 1 Thinking Critically with Psychological Science

Key Points of the Chapter l Be familiar with the roots of psychology l Understand the contemporary models of psychology l Be able to explain description, correlation, and experimentation

A Brief History Overview l Socrates n Mind and Plato is separable from the body n Continues after the body dies n Knowledge is innate

Philosophy Base for Psych l Aristotle n Disagreed with the previous n Knowledge is not preexisting

Modern Science l Begins to flourish l Descartes n Agreed with Socrates with innate ideas n Mind and Brain fluid n Animal spirits in the brain cavities

Bacon & Locke l Francis Bacon- selective memory l John Locke- mind a blank slate n Helped form ‘empiricism’ n Knowledge originates in experience

Wilhelm Wundt (1879) l 1 st Lab l Early schools of psychology n Structuralism n Functionalism

Structuralism l Aimed to explore the elements of the mind l Report what they experience n Sensations, feelings, emotions, etc.

Structuralism l Uses introspection l Introspection n Analysis of one’s own experiences n Downfalls?

Responses to Structuralism l Realized it is better to think in terms of “why” l Think in terms of functions n Ex: Why does the brain tell the nose to smell?

Responses to Structuralism l Functionalism n Focused on what the mind does n Allow people to adapt to environment

Psychology is Born l Definition: the scientific study of behavior and mental processes l Behavior: anything that an organism does l Mental Processes: internal experiences we infer from behavior

Contemporary Psychology l Different lines, different models l NATURE V. NURTURE n Do our human traits develop through experience OR n Do we come equipped with them?

Nature v. Nurture l Longstanding controversy in psychology l Contemporary theory says: n Nurture works on l Ex: Depression l Example? what nature endows

6 Major Contemporary Models of Psychology l Theories that provide an overarching framework l Under which most research is conducted n Biological n Psychodynamic n Cognitive n Behavioral n Humanistic n Socio-cultural (Psychoanalytic)

Biological l Focuses on the biological side of behavior and the effects of evolution and genetics l Franz Gall l Everything explained by human physiology and anatomy l Example?

Psychodynamic (Psychoanalytic) l Emphasizes the importance of unconscious mental processes and early childhood development l Importance on the interplay between different components of the personality l Sigmund Freud n Unconscious n Example? motives and conflicts

Cognitive l Focuses on the mental processes of information including functions of reasoning, problem solving, and memory l Interested on the mental processes that guide and cause our behavior l Jean Piaget l Example?

Behavioral l Emphasizes the role of previous learning experiences in shaping behavior l Example? l John B. Watson n Human behavior is a conditioned response n Little Albert

Humanistic l Emphasizes the uniqueness of each individual person and our ability and responsibility to make choices in our lives l Free will and free choice l Abraham Maslow l Carl Rogers- full potential, inherently good l Example?

Socio-Cultural l How behavior and thinking vary across cultures and situations l How do Americans differ from other cultures? l What would someone working from a socio-cultural perspective explore?

Biopsychosocial Model l Attempt to integrate different models l Approach a psychology issue from different viewpoints l Example?

Psychology’s Subfields l Less unified than other sciences l Common quest l Build psychology’s base through research l Two types: n Basic n Applied

Basic Research l Pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base l Ex: how we perceive, think, and solve problems

Applied Research l Scientific study that aims to solve practical problems

Psychology’s Subfields l Clinical Psychologists: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological issues n Ph. D n Cannot prescribe drugs l Psychiatrists: also provide psychotherapy n Can n MD prescribe medicine

Why do Psychology? l Humans can be wrong l Can lead to: n Hindsight Bias n Overconfidence

The Scientific Attitude l Helps answer many questions l Scientific Theory l Good Theories Explained By: n Organizing and linking observed facts n Implying hypotheses that offer testable predictions l Scientific Method n Operational n Replication Definition

Research Strategies l Descriptive l Correlation l Experimental

Description l The starting point of any science l Describing what you observe l Three Research Methods: n Case Study n Survey n Naturalistic Observation

1. Case Study l Psychologists study one individual in depth over a long period of time l Hope is that studying one person will reveal things true for all l Example? l Problems: n Can sometimes mislead us n Individual may be atypical n Can result in overgeneralization

2. Survey l l l Technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people Looks at a wide variety of people in less depth Usually in the form of a questionnaire Example? Problems: Wording can be tricky n Population could potentially not represent the whole n

2. Survey l Population: the whole group from which samples may be drawn for a study l Random Sample: every person in the population has an equal chance of being selected l Example? n Best chance that the same will represent the population n Remember to consider the sample

3. Naturalistic Observation l Observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation l Does not explain behavior, observes it l Done with humans and animals l Example?

Correlation l When one trait or behavior accompanies another l CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION l Example n How are these two related?

Correlation l Correlation Coefficient: statistical measure of a relationship n Reveals how closely two things vary together n Example?

Correlation l Positive Correlation: (0 +1. 00) indicates a direct relationship n Meaning that two things either increase or decrease together n Example: Survey says that genetically identical twins correlate about +0. 6 on extraversion l Means the outgoingness of either twin gives a reasonable clue to that of the other l More genetically alike, more likely to have the same about of extraversion

Correlation l Negative Correlation: (0 -1. 00)indicates an inverse relationship n One increases, the other decreases n Example: people who tend to score low on self esteem score high on depression n Think of a teeter totter

Correlation l Illusory Correlation: perception of a relationship when none exists n Example: Length of marriage and increasing male hair loss n Why is this not a corrleation?

Experimentation l. A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process n Isolate cause and effect n Example?

Experimentation l Independent Variable: factor that is manipulated l Dependent Variable: factor that is being measured l Double-Blind Procedure: both researchers and participants are blind l Placebo: substance or condition of a presumed active agent

Experiementation l Experimental Condition: people receive the treatment or exposed to the treatment l Control Condition: contrasts with the experiment and serves as a comparison