• What is
Psychology?
• What do
psychologists do?
• How have
psychologists
affected our lives?
• Psychology: the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes
o Scientific study: utilizes the scientific
method
o Behavior: observable events
o Mental processes: thoughts, feelings, and
perceptions
• Psychology’s goal is to describe, predict,
explain, and control (or change) behavior
Dr. Amani is interested in investigating
why women are more able to correctly
interpret emotional expressions than
are men. He is most interested in the
scientific goal of _____.
A.) explanation
B.) prediction
C.) description
D.) control
• Focuses on the brain,
nervous system, and other
biological functions
o Genetics, heredity, and
evolution
o Instincts
o Hormones and
neurotransmitters
• John B. Watson,
B. F. Skinner
• Scientific study of
observable behavioral
responses and their
environmental
determinants
o Patterns of reward
and punishment
• Sigmund Freud
• Emphasizes unconscious
thoughts
• Conflict between
biological drives and the
demands of society
• Early childhood
experiences are
especially important
• Carl Rogers, Abraham
Maslow
• All individuals have an
inborn drive to grow,
develop, and be fulfilled
• Emphasis on free will
• Unconditional positive
regard
• Conditions of worth
• Focuses on how people
think, understand, and
know about the world
o Brain is viewed as a
problem-solving
supercomputer
o Our behavior is affected
by how we process
information
• Uses evolutionary principles (adaptation,
reproduction, and natural selection) to
explain human behaviors
o Aggression
o Fear
o Mating patterns
• Examines the
influences of society
and culture on
behavior
o Compares behavior
across countries
o Compares group
differences within a
country
You are studying alcoholism. What kinds of
questions would researchers from each
perspective be interested in asking?
o Biological
o Behavioral
o Psychodynamic
o Humanistic
o Cognitive
o Evolutionary
o Sociocultural
• Five steps:
1. Observing some
phenomenon
2. Formulating hypotheses
and predictions
3. Testing through
empirical research
4. Drawing conclusions
5. Evaluating conclusions
• Variable: anything that can change
• Theory: a broad explanation or prediction
about the topic of interest
o Must be falsifiable
• Hypothesis: a prediction that is stated in a
way that allows it to be tested
• Operational definition: the translation of a
hypothesis into specific, testable procedures
o Ex: helping behavior
• Naturalistic
observation: behavior is
observed in its natural
environment, with no
interference
o Advantages: natural,
spontaneous behavior
o Disadvantages:
researcher has no
control
• Surveys: a representative
sample of people are
asked questions about
various topics
o Advantages: quick and
inexpensive
o Disadvantages:
• Sample may not be
representative
• Bias may skew results
• People may not respond
honestly
• Case study: behavior of one person or a group
of people is studied in-depth
o Advantages:
• Provides detailed, descriptive information
• Useful for forming hypotheses
o Disadvantages:
• May not apply to other people / groups
• Time consuming and expensive
• Researcher bias
Dr.Okawa is interested in studying the effect that
neurological trauma can have on short-term memory.
First, he collects detailed information from a small
number of individuals who have experienced brain
damage. Then, using information provided by medical
records, interviews, and observations, Dr. Okawa
attempts to create an in-depth portrait of each
individual. What type of research method was used in
this study?
A.) Case study
B.) Naturalistic observation
C.) Experimental method
D.) Survey
• The relationship between two variables
is examined to determine if they are
associated
• Correlation coefficient (+1 to -1) tells us
the strength and the direction of the
relationship
o Positive: varies together
o Negative: varies opposite
o Larger relationship closer to 1
• Treatment: manipulation used by an
experimenter
• Experimental group: group that receives
treatment manipulation
• Control group: group that does not receive
treatment manipulation
• Independent variable: the variable being
manipulated
• Dependent variable: the variable being
measured
• Random assignment
• Experiments must follow APA guidelines
o Protection of participants from physical and
mental harm
o Right of participants to privacy
o Assurance that participation in research is
completely voluntary
• IRB (independent research board) approves all
experiments
o Informed consent
o Debriefing
o Deception?