Place the following disciplines in order from "most scientific" to "least scientific" and

explain/justify why you have ordered them in this way.

ArtBiology

ChemistryMathMusic

PhilosophyPhysics

Psychology 

Unit 1 Psychology’s Roots

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

External stimuli

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

interpret situations

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

Psychological Approaches/Perspectives

1.1.1Psychological Science Is BornHow has psychology’s focus changed over time?

Philosophers were the 1st psychologists. Debate big question about life…nature vs. nurture

Psychology as a science born in 1879 1. Wundt – 1st psych lab (1879)

Attempted to measure awareness of sensory experiences through reaction time

2. William James – 1st psych textbook

3. Behaviorism: View that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

4. Freudian Psychology: Emphasis on unconscious thought processes and emotional responses to childhood experiences

5. Humanistic psychology: Emphasized the growth potential of healthy people

6. cognitive revolution: with the advent of new types of technology; it is now scientifically possibly to study the mind

7. Cognitive neuroscientists: Scientific exploration of brain activity underlying mental activity

Psychological Science Is Born

Today Psychology: Science of

behavior and mental processes

Behavior: Anything a human or nonhuman animal does

Mental processes: Internal states inferred from behavior

Science: Key word!Psychology students, such as

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (who majored in

psychologyand computer science while at

Harvard), end up in varied careers.

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9.) Explain how psychology evolved from the study of mental life to the

modern definition of psychology today.

Psychology starts off as…

Science of mental life Then focuses on… (1920s-1950s)

Objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes.

Finally,Psychology studies mental

processes AND Behavior

Andrea Yates Background Notes

Gather as much information as you can on Andrea’s background

What was she like, what were her life experiences, what was she involved in?

Mon. 9/21

In your daily journal, write a response to the statement on your sheet.

Hindsight BiasThe tendency to say an outcome

was obvious AFTER the fact; to believe we could have predicted it

“I-Knew-It-All-Along” phenomenon

Our assumptions are often wrongNeed research to find what’s true

OverconfidenceWe tend to be more confident than we are correct

Why Do Research In Psychology?

To separate hunches & gut intuition about

human behavior with actual fact.

HomeworkRead 1.4.1 The Scientific Method

Read 1.4.2 Description

Theory an explanation using guiding principles; organizes

observations predicts behavior

Hypothesis Testable prediction; implied by a theory

Operational Definition Define research variables w/ precise procedures or

measuresReplication

Repeating research study

How Do Psychologists’ Ask Questions?#13

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Descriptive Methods of Psych Research

Case StudyOne person studied in depthSuggest further study (+)Cannot discern general truths (-)

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SurveyLooks at many cases at

onceWord effects (-)

should cigarette ads be allowed on TV vs censored

aid to the needy vs welfare

Random sampling (+)A sample that represents a

population b/c each member has an equal chance of inclusion

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PopulationAll cases in a group being

studied from which the sample may be drawn

DescriptionNaturalistic Observation

Naturalistic Observation Observing & recording behavior

in naturally occurring situations w/o controlling the situations

Doesn’t control for all the factors that can contribute to behavior

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3S0xS2hdi4

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Correlation A measure of the extent to which two things vary together How well does A predict B (NOT CAUSE) Positive versus negative correlation

Correlation Coefficient A statistical measure that tells us how strongly they correlate (how

good of a predictor) Strength of the correlation is found by the coefficient

-1.0 to +1.0 (r) Closer to the 1 is a stronger correlation

Why Use a Coefficient? Let’s us know how strong the relationship is…how

strongly variable A predicts variable B

Says nothing about strength of

prediction

CORRELATION #20-#24

same direction opposite direction+ or -

Visually Show Correlation…

Scatterplota graphed cluster of dots, each dot represents the values

of two variables Illusory Correlation

a“fake” correlation

CorrelationAre tall

men more or less

easygoing?

Correlation

Correlation

+.63

Correlation

Correlation

Correlation

Correlation

Correlation

CorrelationCorrelation and Causation

Correlation helps predict Does not = cause and effect

CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION!!!

Practice

ExperimentationResearcher can:Manipulate the factors of interest to

determine their effectsHolding constant (“controlling”) other

factorsExperimental groupControl group

What are our 5 types of research methods?

Researcher manipulates variables to determine cause and effect

1st – create a testable hypothesis & operationally define your terms

2nd – randomly sample a population for your participants

3rd – randomly assign your participants (your sample)

Experiment

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EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONTROL GROUP#27 #28

Double-blind procedure: Eliminating bias The participants AND the researcher doesn’t know

who is in which groupWHY DOES IT MATTER???

Researcher can determine if treatment really works and not just a placebo effect

Placebo effect Effect involves results caused by expectations

alone.

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Experimentation

Variables

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

DEPENDENT VARIABLE

• Factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied

• The variable that is measured

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PRACTICE

Comparing Research Methods

Each of psychology’s research methods has strengths and weaknesses