Psychology Unit 1

PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 1 WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY? • Psychology: the scientific study of behavior and the mental process • What is behavior then? • Any action other people can observe or measure • For example: today I woke up, ate breakfast and drank coffee…these are all behaviors • What are the goals of psychology? • To observe • To describe • To explain • To predict, control and change behaviors • Psychology is both a Social Science and a Natural Science • What does that mean????? • Psychology studies more than just observable behaviors • It also studies cognitive activities • Cognitive Activity: dreams, perceptions, thoughts, and memories • Psychology also studies peoples emotions and feelings which both impact behavior and the mental process • Anxiety, happiness, excitement, stress, sadness all impact our thoughts, feelings and behaviors • Thoughts and feelings cannot be directly observed so psychological constructs can be used to measure them • i.e. heart rate monitors and other instruments PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE • Psychology as a science: • Science must be tested • There are many research methods used in psychological tests • Surveys: collecting data from a particular group • Experimentation: using scientific tests and experiments on animals and humans • Just like in scientific studies, the results of these tests are theories and principles/laws WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS DO? • Psychology can lead you into many different fields • Psychologist: CAN NOT PERSCRIBE MEDICINE • Psychiatrist: CAN PERSCRIBE MED. • Clinical Psychologist (Largest group) • Depression, anxiety, relationships, drugs… • Counseling Psychologist—adjustment issues • Family, marital, job/career • School/Education—Schools • Learning disorders, peer/family problems • Developmental Psychologists: • Study changes that occur throughout a persons life (i.e. adolescence) • Other: • Social psych, experimental psych, personality psych, environmental psych, consumer psych, sports psych MATCH THE TYPE OF PSYCHOLOGY TO THE PICTURE HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY: • Starts with the Ancient Greeks (like everything else) • Socrates—”We should question ourselves” • Hippocrates—disturbed mentalities were abnormalities in the brain • Wilhelm Wundt: Founder of Structuralism • Structuralism: concerned with discovering the basic elements of consciousness • Objective sensations: sight, taste, smell… • Subjective Feelings: emotional responses to images • Believed the human mind functioned by combining the two EXAMPLE OF STRUCTURALISM: • Observe the apple: • How does the picture of the apple make you feel? • William James and Functionalism: • Functionalism: • Concerned with how mental processes help organisms adapt to their environment • Basically how do people adapt to their environment and learn from experiences • You can observe functionalism but not structuralism • If you have a positive experience you are more likely to repeat that behavior • Negative experience, less likely EXAMPLE OF FUNCTIONALISM •What would you do if you continuously got “friend zoned” every time you tried to start a relationship? •What would you do if you studied for your psych. test and got a 100%? • John B. Watson—Behaviorism • Behaviorism: • Based on observable, measurable actions, only the person knows why it happened • Functionalists would infer why individuals did something consciously, behaviorists only stick to what they observe • Behaviorism only studies observable behavior • No one can definitively know what the subject was consciously thinking • B.F. Skinner and Behaviorism: • Took behaviorism and added concept of reinforcement • When an animal is rewarded, or reinforced, it is more likely to perform that action again in the future • Think of how we train dogs, what do we do when they behave the way we want them to? • The famous Skinner box • Animal learns that when they press the screen, food is dispensed • Animal is reinforced to touch the screen when hungry • Have you successfully used reinforcement at all at home? • The Gestalt School: • People seek patterns to determine behavior • Learning is active and purposeful • Disagree with behaviorists that learning is mechanical • Focus on problem solving and insight to solve problems • Sigmund Freud and Psychoanalysis: • Unconscious motives and internal conflicts determine behavior • People’s behavior is driven by impulse • Rather than study behavior in a lab, he studied his patients individually through consults • Sexual and aggressive instincts and unconscious impulses clash with the rules of society • Studied dreams and Freudian Slips WARM UP • What school is it? • If I believe that the human mind=sensations+feelings then I am from what school? • If I ask the question, “how does the mind help people adapt?” then I am from what school? • If I believe that psychology can only be a science if it is based on observable events then I am from what school? • If I believe that insight solves problems I probably agree with what school? • If I believe that behavior is based on unconscious motives then I am from what school? CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES OF PSYCHOLOGY CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES OF PSYCHOLOGY • The Biological Perspective: • Emphasizes the influence of biology on our behavior • Look for connections between events in the brain and our behavior • The Cognitive Perspective: • Emphasizes the role that thoughts play in behavior • Study the mind and mental processes • Think of the brain as a personal computer • The Evolutionary Perspective • Focus on the evolution of behavior and mental process • Charles Darwin and his evolutionary theory play large role • Many behaviors may be inherited to influence people in certain ways • The Humanistic Perspective • Stresses consciousness, self-awareness and the ability to make choices • Personal experiences are the most important aspect of psychology • Psychoanalytic perspective: • Stresses influence of unconscious forces • Focus less on sexual and aggressive impulses that Freud focused on • Learning Perspective: • Emphasizes the effects of experiences on behavior • Behavior is learned from direct experience or from observing other people •The Sociocultural perspective: •Ethnicity, gender, culture, socioeconomic status impact behavior Perspective What do they study? Key Ideas Biological Nervous system, glands, hormones, and Biological processes influence our genetics play key role behavior and mental process (Nature) Evolutionary Physical traits, social behaviors, inherited behaviors Adaptive organisms survive and transmit their genes to future generations (nurture) Cognitive Interpretation of mental images, thinking, language Perceptions and thoughts influence behavior Humanistic Self-concept, self awareness People make free and conscious choices based on their experiences Psychoanalytic Unconscious process, early-childhood experience Unconscious motives influence behavior Learning Environmental influences, learning, observational learning Personal experience and reinforcement guide individual development Sociocultural Ethnicity, gender, culture, socioeconomic status Sociocultural, biological, and psychological factors create individual differences PSYCHOLOGICAL METHODS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD • Since Psych. is a natural science, it will use the scientific method • Question→ ex. What effect does watching violent TV shows or playing violent video games have on viewers? • Hypothesis→ Watching violent TV shows/video games will make viewers more violent/aggressive • Test→ conduct a poll on viewers of violent TV shows/video games • Analysis→ check results and collect data • Conclusion→ check hypothesis and draw a conclusion • The study must be successfully replicated to ensure accuracy • Complete the Exploring the Scientific Method worksheet • Question: • Hypothesis: • Test: • Analysis: • Conclusion: HOW IS PSYCH TESTED? • Surveys, samples, and populations • Survey Method • Asking people directly through questionnaires or interviews • Populations and Samples • Target population—the group that is to be studied • Sample—Part of the target population (it would be too hard to study the entire target population) • Random sample—selected by chance • Stratified sample—proportional representation of the target group • Selecting Samples: • Sample should be as close as possible to the target population • Poll question: How likely are the students in my psych class to vote in the 2016 election? • Target population: All students eligible to vote, you would not include students under 18 • Is this a good sample?→No, too small of a group PRO’S/CON’S OF SURVEY’S • Pro’s: • Cheap, anonymous and can gather large amounts of info. in a short amount of time • Gather’s data on issues that may not be observable • Con’s: • Information can be inaccurate and biased • How accurately would a survey about the frequency of diarrhea be? METHODS OF OBSERVATION • Testing Method: Learn about human behavior through tests • Intelligence Tests • Aptitude Tests • Personality Tests • The Case Study Method: An in depth observation of a group or a person • Largely the basis of Freud’s psychoanalysis perspective • Study a group or person for months or years • Some rare cases arise that cannot be replicated in nature for ethical reasons • Genie the Wild Child • Kept locked in a room from the time she was born till she was rescued at 13 years old • Pro’s of Case Studies • Can study rare circumstances that naturally occur due to ethical issues • Get an in depth look at individuals • Con’s of Case Studies: • May be hard to generalize results to apply them to a larger population • May not be able to replicate study due to ethical issues • Rely on individuals memories and experiences which may be inaccurate or biased • Longitudinal Method: observe participants in a study over a long period of time • Can study changes over time • Con’s of Longitudinal: • Highly expensive • Time consuming • To avoid these problems, crosssectional studies can be done • Study samples of people from various ages and compare studies • Cheaper, but less reliable • The Naturalistic-Observation Method: • Observing behavior in its natural field of study • Ex. Observing a child learn language naturally at home • Other field setting include, school, home, offices, the workplace, anywhere people spend time • Must try not to interfere with the subject • Pro’s of Naturalistic Observation: • Cheap, see natural behaviors live in person • Con’s of Naturalistic Observation: • Presence of someone can alter behavior • Researchers may have bias • Is it ethical, spying???? • Laboratory Observation Method: • Not always the white coat, stereotypical lab • A lab can be anywhere that provides an opportunity for observation and experimentation • The Skinner Box is a mini-lab • Psychologists use labs to control the environment of a study THE SIX METHODS OF OBSERVATION: Research Method Description Pros Cons Testing Method Several types of tests measure various elements of human behavior like personality, intelligence… Convenient, gain insight to individual ability levels or behaviors Not always an accurate representation Case-Study Method Researchers conduct in depth study of individual or small group Provides insight into specific cases May focus on isolated circumstances that cant be replicated People may distort past experiences Researchers may influence results Longitudinal Method A group of participants are observed at intervals over an extended period of time Enables researchers to see how individuals change over time Time consuming and expensive Participants may not be available for the duration of the study Cross-Sectional Method Researchers compare the differences and similarities among people in a different age group Less time consuming Differences are not consistent and may be inaccurate Naturalistic Observation Method Researchers observe behavior of people or animals in their natural habitat Enables researchers to witness the behavior of people in natural setting No control over the setting or events that occur Presence of researcher may alter results Laboratory-Observation Method Participants are observed in laboratory setting Enables researchers to precisely control certain aspects of the Cannot duplicate real life environments TESTING METHOD EXAMPLE: PERSONALITY TESTS • Take the Personality test located at the following website. • Psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/bin/transfer • Answer the following questions on a piece of paper when you finish. • Do you believe the personality test is an accurate reflection of yourself? • Did you struggle with any issues of bias while taking the test? • What advantages are there to this type of observation method? •Come up with your own research survey? •What is your survey topic? •Who is your target population? •How can you ensure that you are getting unbiased and un-generalized results? HOW DO WE ANALYZE OBSERVATION RESULTS? • Must analyze results of observations • Correlation: • Measure of how closely two things are related • Looking for correlations in various characteristics or traits • Ex. Is there a correlation between stress and health? • Need to determine if the correlation is positive or negative POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS • Positive Correlation: As one measure goes up, so does the other • Negative Correlation: As one measure goes up, the other goes down • How can you determine if stress is related to health? • Test: conduct a survey of working age adults to determine the levels of stress in their lives • Choose a random sample from your target population • Compare results of stress levels with medical records. • Results show as stress goes up, health goes down • What kind of correlation is this? • Negative •Correlations do not determine cause and effect •Correlations describe a relationship between two things THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD THE EXPERIMENTAL METHOD • Observational testing methods only determine correlations • Experimental method must be used to determine cause/effect • Experimental method: • Participants receive a treatment within a certain condition • Change in room temperature, new drug…etc. • The experiment must contain variables • Independent Variable: manipulated by researches to determine its effect • Raising/lowering temp. • Dependent Variable: dependent on the independent variable • How people react to raising/lowering temps. • Experimental and Control Groups: • Experimental Group: the group that receives treatment • Control Group: do not receive treatment • All other conditions must remain the same • This is called a controlled experiment • Placebo Effect: • Substance or treatment that has no effect apart from a persons belief that it is having an effect • Ex. Sugar pills • Expectations about an experiment may cause a placebo effect and inaccurate results • Single Blind Study: the participants of an experiment do not know whether they are the experimental group or the control group • Double Blind Study: the participants and the experimenters do not know who is the experimental or control group ETHICAL ISSUES IN PSYCH. ETHICS IN PSYCH • Ethics: standards of proper and responsible behavior • American Psychological Association has set strict guidelines to maintain ethical guidelines in testing • A study of the impacts of separation of a child from a mother would be unethical • 2 important principles: • 1. Confidentiality • 2. Informed Consent • Confidentiality: • All records and relationships between participants and the psychologist are private and confidential • UNLESS HARM IS PRESENT TO ONESELF OR SOMEONE ELSE • Informed Consent: • Some experiments may have side effects or negative experiences • To ensure people know of side effects the APA requires people provide informed consent • They know of the study and its possible effects and consent to take part • Deception: • Some psych. studies require deception • Single/double blind studies must be conducted w/o the individual being aware of the effects of the study to make sure they are valid • Animal Studies: • Sometime psychologists do studies on animals when they cannot do them on humans • Use of animals is used only when there is no alternative • APA strictly regulates animal research to prevent unethical harm to animals