unit1, chapter 1, section 1 why study psychology? mr. young 1 st and 6 th periods
TRANSCRIPT
Why Study Psychology
Physiological- having to do with an organism’s physical processes (eating, sleeping, moving)
Cognitive- having to do with an organism’s thinking and understanding (feelings, emotions)
Overview of Psychology
Psychology- scientific study of behavior and mental processes
Can involve both animals and humans
Some believe you should only study what you can see, others believe that you need what you cant see as well
The Goals of Psychology
Broken down into four different ideas
1. Describe
2. Explain
3. Predict
4. Influence behavior
Description
First goal, must describe or gather information about behavior being studied and present what is known
Explanation
Explain why people or animals behave as they do
1. Hypothesis- assumption or prediction about behavior that is tested through scientific research
2. Theory- complex explanation based on findings from hypothesis
Prediction
Will use different hypothesis and theories to predict human or animal behavior
Will study descriptive and theoretical accounts of the past to try and explain future behavior
Influence
Basic science- the pursuit of knowledge about natural phenomena for its own sake
Applied science- discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals
The Scientific Basis of Psychology
Also use the scientific method, identify specific problems or questions, formulate a hypothesis, collect data through observations and experiments, and analyze the data
Wilhelm Wundt- created first psychological lab in Germany, 1879
Called procedure “introspection” or what we know as scientific method