What is Psychology Psychology Is The Scientific study

What is Psychology? Psychology Is. . . The Scientific study of behavior & mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state & external environment. Psychology is not. . . What is not psychology? Psychobabble, numerology, graphology, astrology, phrenology, common sense, etc. Because. . . Psychology is based on empirical data, all of the above are not. How are they different?

The bumps on the head are said to give insight into a person’s personality traits.

The Birth of Modern Psychology Ancient Philosophers – Aristotle to Zoroaster What was the beginning of psychology? • wanted to know how people take in information through their senses, solve problems & become motivated to do brave acts or villainous acts. • They wondered if emotions controlled us or if we could control them. How did they know if they were correct? • They did not rely on empirical evidence. • Many of their insights & observations were later verified through experiments. Modern psychologists • Use empirical evidence to answer the same questions and more. How did they differ from modern psychologists?

Trained Introspection • Wundt created this to break behavior down into its basic elements. • He created the 1 st Psych. laboratory in Germany in 1879. Functionalism • James emphasized behavior’s function or purpose instead of analysis.

Psychoanalysis • Freud concluded distress was du to early childhood traumas, conflicts, and memories.

5 major theoretical perspectives: What are the major theories of psycholoy today? • Biological perspective – how biological event affect behavior, feelings, and thoughts. • Learning perspective – how our environment and experiences affect our actions. • Cognitive perspective – how people reason, remember, understand language, solve problems, etc. • Psychodynamic perspective – deals with the unconscious workings within an individual. • Socio-cultural perspective – how social and cultural forces shape every aspect of human behavior.

What Psychologists do? Psych either teach, provide health services or they do research. Those who do research are either: Basic Psych – concerned w/ “knowledge for its own sake. ” Applied Psych – deals with the practical use of psych and its application. Those who work as psychologists: * Goal of Psychological Practitioners: To understand improve mental health. Where they work: mental hospitals, general hospitals, counseling centers, private practice, schools Counselors who practice psychology Clinical Psychologists Major differences occur in types of Professionals in the field of Psychology

Types of Psychotherapists 1. Psychotherapist - Could be anyone. No training necessary. 2. Psychoanalyst - Practices psychoanalysis (a specific form of therapy). M. D. or Ph. D. specialized training in psychoanalysis, and must undergo therapy themselves. 3. Psychiatrist - Medical Doctors (MD. 's). Must also do a 3 -year residency where they learn to diagnose and treat mental disorders. Has authority to prescribe drugs. 4. Clinical Psychologists - (Ph. D. , Ed. D, Psyd) Trained in psychological theories and methods. Cannot prescribe meds (yet). 5. Social Workers/Counselors -(LCSW'S, MFCC'S) not doctors. Have a Masters in social work or counseling. Ordinarily treat general problems in adjustment rather than serious mental disturbance. Some would say that these people have the toughest job of all. They treat addicts, delinquents, sex offenders, battered women, and children.

Critical and Scientific Thinking in Psychology Definition: Critical Thinking -The ability and willingness to make objective judgments on the basis of well-supported reasons. Eight Essential Guidelines for Critical Thinking Q (question) 1. Ask Questions -Don't hesitate to ask "why" questions. Curious thinkers look for ways to identify problems and challenges. T (terms) 2. Define Your Terms -Once you have asked a question, you must get specific about what it is that you want to know. Yes or No answers are not adequate for critical thought. Definition: hypothesis -A testable statement that attempts to describe or explain a given behavior. E (Evidence) 3. Examine the Evidence – Don’t accept any conclusions without having the support of evidence. Evidence is proof! A (Analyze) 4. Analyze Assumptions/Biases – Identify and distinguish between facts and assumptions. Question the assumptions. State your hypothesis in a way that it can be refuted.

Definition: Principle of Falsifiability – Stating your hypothesis in such a way that it can be tested and possibly disproved by counter-evidence. ER (Emotional Reasoning) 5. Avoid Emotional Reasoning – Try to remove your emotions from the equation. Be passionate about your hypothesis but don’t allow your passion to cloud the facts. O (Oversimplify) 6. Don’t Oversimplify – Critical thinkers want more than one or two examples of fact before drawing sweeping conclusions. I (Interpretations) 7. Consider Other Interpretations – Arrive at a theory. Definition: Theory – An organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain certain phenomena and how they are related. TU (Tolerate Uncertainty) 8. Tolerate Uncertainty – Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, ” or “I’m not sure. ” Don’t be secretive. Share your findings with others. Replication of your theories by other will give your theories more credibility.

Descriptive Methods – Helps researcher describe and predict behavior. There are 4 major types: Case Studies – detailed description of an individual based on observation and/or formal psych. testing. Observational Studies – observing & recording a person or group’s behavior without interfering. Naturalistic Observation – Observing people in their natural environments. Laboratory Observation – Observing in a lab Advantage – More control & can use sophisticated equipment. Disadvantage – People may behave differently in a lab then in their natural environments.

Psychological Tests – used to measure and evaluate personality traits, emotions, aptitudes, interests, abilities, & values. Ex: IQ tests, personality tests, SAT-9, ACT, Vocational aptitude 4 components of a good Psych Test: Standardized – administering & testing must be uniform. Norms – use of averages to determine how people score in relation to others. Reliability – Test must produce the same results from one time & place to another. Validity- Test must measure what it is set out to measure. Surveys – Questionnaires & interviews that gather info. by asking people directly about their experiences, attitudes, & opinions. Representative Sample – a group of subjects selected from a population for study, which matches the population the researcher wishes to describe.

Correlational Studies – (relationships) A descriptive study that tells us whether 2 or more phenomena are related and, if so, how strongly. Variables - Related phenomena are “variables, ” they can be related positively or negatively. Positive Correlation – A positive increase in association between one variable & another. Negative Correlation – A high value of one variable is associated w/ low values of another. Correlations can be Misleading - They do not show causation. If there is no correlation between variables, we say they are uncorrelated.

The Experiment Purpose of the experiment: allows researcher to control & manipulate the situation being studied so they can determine the cause of a behavior. APA (American Psychological Assciation) sets a code of ethics for researchers to follow during experiments. Parts of an Experiment Independent Variable – the part of the experiment the researcher can change. Dependent Variable – the part of the experiment the researcher is trying to predict and is dependent upon the independent variable. Experimental condition – the subjects being manipulated. Control condition – the subjects who are involved in the exact activities as the experimental group but w/out the manipulative. A placebo is often given to this group. Single-blind study – when either the administrator or the subjects know if they are part of the experimental group or a control group. Double-blind study - neither the administrator nor the subjects know what group they are in.

Advantages Allows researcher to control situation Researcher can determine cause and effect Disadvantages Situation is not real and may not be applied well to real life situations Can be difficult to avoid experimenter effects