Psychology
An introduction
People have needs
• Physiological – physical needs
• Ex. Sleep, hunger
• Cognitive – mental reasons
• Ex. Intellectual, emotional
psychology
• The scientific study of behavior and mental
processes.
psychology
• Looks at everything people:
– Think
– Feel
– Do
psychology
• From the Greek words:
• Psych – mind/soul
• Logia – study/investigation
Psychology goals
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe behavior
Explain behavior
Predict behavior
Influence behavior
Goal 1: Describe behavior
• Simply state what is seen/what happens
• Facts
Goal 2: Explain Behavior
• The why behind the behavior
• First Explanations = hypothesis
– Hypothesis – educated guess about something, the
researcher’s prediction of the results
• Complex explanations = theory
– Theory – explanation based on the results of many studies
Goal 3: Predict Behavior
• To predict what humans will think or feel in
various situations
• Predictions are made based on past research
Goal 4: Influence Behavior
• To influence behavior in helpful ways
• Basic science – doing research
• Applied science – using research to solve
problems
Psychology goals
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe behavior
Explain behavior
Predict behavior
Influence behavior
Psychology as a Science
• Follows a systematic process to analyze
situations
• Searches for facts
Psychology Uses the Scientific Method
Question
Hypothesis
Experiment
Additional
hypotheses
Results/data
Reject and revise
hypothesis
Conclusions
Theory
Other psychologists react
and test their theories
Data
• Gotten from:
– Experiments
– Surveys
– Case studies
– Observations
Why the Scientific Method?
• Reduces the possibility of errors and bias
Where did the scientific method
come from?
• Wilhelm Wundt
– 1879
– Leipzig, Germany
– First psychology laboratory
– Claims: psychology has 2 elements (sensations
and feelings)
– Procedure used: “introspection”
Vocabulary Review
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Physiological
Cognitive
Psychology
Hypothesis
Theory
Basic science
Applied science
Scientific method
physiological
• Having to do with an organism’s physical
processes
cognitive
• Having to do with an organism’s thinking and
understanding
psychology
• The scientific study of behavior that is tested
through scientific research
hypothesis
• An assumption (guess) about behavior that is
tested through scientific research
theory
• A set of assumptions used to explain
phenomena (occurrences) and offered for
scientific study
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
scientific method
• A general approach to gathering information
and answering questions so that errors and
biases are minimized