essentials of psychology 5e robert s. feldman prepared by:john e. story, psy.d. university of...
TRANSCRIPT
Essentials of Psychology 5e
Robert S. Feldman
Prepared by: John E. Story, Psy.D.
University of Kentucky Lexington Community College
Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology
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Psychology
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
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The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree
Biopsychology– Specializes in the
biological bases of behavior
Sensation, perception, learning and thinking– Experimental psychology
• Methodological study of sensing, perceiving, learning and thinking
– Cognitive psychology• Emphasis on higher
mental processes
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The Subfields of Psychology
Understanding change and individual differences– Developmental
psychology• Changes in behavior
over the life span (womb to tomb)
– Personality psychology• Examines consistencies
in people’s behavior over time and traits that differentiate us from one another
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The Subfields of Psychology
Physical and mental health– Health psychology
• Explores relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or disease
– Clinical psychology• Investigates diagnosis
and treatment of psychological disorders
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The Subfields of Psychology
Understanding our social networks– Social psychology
• Studies how people are affected by others
– Cross-cultural psychology
• Focuses on the similarities and differences in psychological functioning across cultures and ethnic groups
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The Subfields of Psychology
New frontiers– Clinical neuropsychology
• Focuses on relationships between biological factors and psychological disorders
– Evolutionary psychology• Examines influence of
our genetic heritage and our behavior
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Educating Psychologist
Doctoral Degrees– Ph.D. & Psy.D.
Master’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree
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Psychology’s Roots
Structuralism– Focused on the basic building
blocks of perception, consciousness, thinking, and emotions
– Introspection
Functionalism– Moved from structure to what
the mind does and how behavior functions
Gestalt Psychology– “the whole is different from
the sum of its parts”
Early History– Trephining– “hollow tubes”– Bumps on the head
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Founding Mother’s of Psychology
Leta Stetter Hollingworth– Child development and
women’s issues Mary Calkins
– First female in the APA Karen Horney
– Social and cultural aspects to personality
June Etta Downey– Personality trait theorist
Anna Freud
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Today’s Perspectives
Biological– Biological bases of
behavior Psychodynamic
– Behavioral influences of inner forces
Cognitive– How people think,
understand, and know about the world
Behavioral– Focus on
observable events
Humanistic– Free will– Natural tendency to
be in control of our lives
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Psychology’s Key Issues
Nature versus nurture– How much of our behavior is
due to heredity and how much is due to environment?
Conscious versus unconscious– How much of our behavior is
produced by forces of which we are fully aware?
Observable behavior versus internal mental processes– Should psychology only focus
on what it can see?
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Psychology’s Key Issues
Free will versus determinism– How much of behavior is
a result of free will? Individual differences
versus universal principles– How much of our
behavior is a consequence of our unique and special qualities?
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Psychology’s Future
Increase in specialization
Focus on prevention Greater influence on
issues of public interest Increase in diversity
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The Scientific Method
The approach used by psychologists to systematically acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior and other phenomena of interest
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Scientific Method: The Process
Identify Questions of Interest
Formulate an Explanation:
•Specify a theory
•Develop a hypothesis
Carry Out Research:
•Operationalize hypothesis
•Select a research method
•Collect data
•Analyze the data
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Scientific Method: Developing Explanations
Theories– Broad explanations and
predictions concerning phenomena of interest
Hypothesis– A prediction stated in a
way that allows it to be tested
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Scientific Method: Conducting Research
Operationalization– Process of translating a
hypothesis into specific, testable procedures that can be measured and observed
Research–Systematic inquiry aimed at the discovery of new knowledge
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Research Methods
Archival research– Use of existing data in
order to test a hypothesis
Naturalistic observation– Observation of naturally occurring
behavior without intervention
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Research Methods
Survey research– A sample of people are
asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, and attitudes in order to represent a larger population
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Research Methods
Case study– An in-depth, intensive
investigation of an individual or small group of people
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Research Methods
Variables– Behaviors, events, or
other characteristics that can change, or vary in some way
Correlational research– The relationship between
two sets of variables is examined to determine whether they are associated, or “correlated”
– Ranges from +1 to -1– Correlation does not
mean “causation”
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Research Methods
Experiment– The relationship between
two (or more) variables is investigated by deliberately producing a change in one variable in a situation and observing the effects of that change on other aspects of the situation
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Experimental Research
Experimental manipulation– The change that an
experimenter deliberately produces in a situation
Treatment– The manipulation
implemented by the experimenter
Experimental group– Any group receiving a
treatment Control group
– A group that receives no treatment
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Experimental Research
Independent variable– The variable that is
manipulated by the experimenter
Dependent variable– The variable that is
measured and is expected to change as a result of changes caused by the the experimenter’s manipulation of the independent variable
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Experimental Research: Final Step
Random assignment to condition– Participants are assigned
to different experimental groups or “conditions” on the basis of chance and chance alone
Significant outcome– Use of statistical
procedures in order to determine whether or not differences between groups are large enough to be significant
Replication– Repetition of findings
using other procedures in other settings
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Research Challenges: Ethics
Protection of participants from physical and mental harm
The right of participants to privacy regarding their behavior
The assurance that participation in research is completely voluntary
The necessity of informing participants about the nature of procedures prior to participation in the experiment
Informed consent
– Deception and debriefing
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Research Challenges
Choosing participants who represent the scope of human behavior
Should animals be used in research?
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Threats to Experiments
Experimental bias– Factors that distort how
the independent variable affects the dependent variable in an experiment
• Experimenter expectations
• Participant expectations
Placebo– A false treatment, such
as a pill, “drug”, or other substance without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient
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Becoming An Informed Consumer of Psychology
What was the purpose of the research?
How well was the study conducted?
Are the results presented fairly?