INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY The Science

INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? - The Science of the human mind and its functions. - The scientific study of behavior and mental processes of organisms.

OBSERVABLE VS. UNOBSERVABLE BEHAVIOURS OBSERVABLE (Behaviour) • UNOBSERVABLE (Cognitive Actions) -Any action that others can observe and measure. - Not externally visible -walking -talking -gestures - thoughts - feelings - emotions - dreams - memories

THE 5 GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY • 1. OBSERVE • Watch a person’s behavior • 2. DESCRIBE • Record specific behavior under certain conditions • 3. EXPLAIN • Give reasons for the behavior • 4. PREDICT • Determine how a person will behave/respond in a certain situation based on previous O. D. E. (observation, description, explanation) • 5. CONTROL • Change the behavior or mental process by teaching the patient ways of coping or keeping anxiety under control.

WHERE DOES PSYCHOLOGY FIT? SOCIAL SCIENCES - Study the structure of human society and the nature of the individual within society -Anthropology, Sociology, History, Economics NATURAL SCIENCES - Study the nature of the physical world (brain or mind). - Rooted in experimentation (Scientific Method) - Systematic & Scientific (structured, methodical, empirical). - Concerned with animal development - Biology, Medicine, Physics, Neuroscience

4 APPROACHES TO PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH • BIOLOGICAL • BEHAVIORAL • COGNITIVE • SUBJECTIVE

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD STEP 1. FORMULATE TESTABLE QUESTIONS - Develop a hypothesis STEP 2. DESIGN STUDY TO COLLECT DATA - Experimental - Descriptive STEP 3. ANALYZE DATA TO ARRIVE AT CONCLUSIONS - Use of statistical procedure STEP 4. REPORT RESULTS - Publication - Replication