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)

-Any action that others can observe and measure.

-walking

-talking

-gestures

• UNOBSERVABLE (Cognitive Actions)

- Not externally visible

- 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