Chapt. 1 Intro to Psych

Descriptive Research

case study, naturalistic observations, surveys, not generizeable

correlational research

between 2 or more variables (positive, negative, or no correlation)

experimental research

2 group design, researchers control variables

correlation does not equal….

causation

positive correlation

0 → 1

negative correlation

-1 → -0

no correlation

0

problems in perceiving relationships

illusory correlation

regression to the mean

causation DOES NOT = causation

experimentation

to examine cause and effect variables

how to examine

1. manipulate (not just measures) to see effects

2. hold a constant ("control for”) other factors

   1. random assignment to limit preexisiting differences

purpose of random assignment

limit preexisiting differences

placebo effect

inactive treatment; belief it will work, nothing changed

a phenomenon where a person experiences improvement in their condition after taking an inactive treatment (fake pill)

double blind study!!!!!!

participants and researcher don't know which is which (which pill works and which doesn't)

how to control a placebo effect

use double blind study

independent variable

variable being studied

dependent variable

outcome of manipulation of independent variable

confounding variable

everything else that can screw up experiments

external factor that influences both the IV and DV in the experiment

evolutionary psych

looks at human behavior and mind using principles of natural selection

focus: how humans alike b/c shared bio and evolutionary history

behavior genetics

how humans differ b/c of differing genes and environments

focus: nature v. nurture debate

“nurture builds on what nature provides”

positive psych

the scientific study of human flourishing

“happiness is by product of pleasant, engaged, meaningful life”

psychologists of positive psych

martin seligman + others

biopsychosocial

3 levels of analysis that all interact to influence psychological experience

T/F: humans can't rely on intuition and common sense

true

hindsight bias

tendency to percieve past events as more predictable or obvious as they actually were before they occurred.

“I knew it all along”

“Hindsight is 20/20”

overconfidence

tendency for individual to have more confidence in their judgements or capabilities than is objectively justified based on their actual skills, knowledge, or past performance

involves an inflated assessment of one’s owns abilities, knowledge, or past performance

reasons why humans can't rely on intuition and common sense

hindsight bias

overconfidence

tendency to perceive patterns in random events

common sense is flawed

critical thinking

doesn't automatically accept conclusions, evaluate assumptions, apraise the source, discern biases, evaluate evidence, and make appropriate conclusions

open to possibilities that one could be wrong!!

scientific method

self-correcting process

a systematic, step-by-step process used to explore observations, answer questions, and solve problems by making a testable explanation (hypothesis), conducting experiments, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on evidence

psychology

the science of behavior and mental processes

science b/c findings based on empirialism, careful observation, and testing

whelm wundt

pysch's first labratory (germany)

believed that mental processes have a physical basis

structuralism

edward titchner & wundt

focused on the components of the mind; studied the conscience experience by breaking it down into it’s most basic elements (sensations, feelings, + images) → breaking down the seeing color

edward titchner and wundt

strucuralism

used introspection reflection or thoughts and emotions

william james

functionalism, “stream of consciouness” thinking

1st psych lab in the US, 1st psych textbook, 1st to mentor female psych student (mary whiton calkins)

functionalism

“how do minds work to help us finction/adapt”

what is the purpose + function of thinking

• how do behaviors + mental processes enable an organism to adapt, survive, + flourish

freudian (psychoanalytic)

focuses on how the unconscious and childhood experiences affect behavior

sigmond freud

sigmond freud

theory of personality, unconscious conflict

1st to say behaviors driven largely by consciousness conflicts

behaviorism

insisted psychology should be objective, study behavior not mental processes

John B Watson + Rosalle Raynor

BF Skinner

behaviorism

1. little alert experiment

   1. consequence shapes behavior-operant condition

humanistic psych

rejected behaviorism and psychodynamic

focuses on growth potential

need for love and acceptance

• our actions/behaviors are motivated by our desire to reach our fullest potential

  • human capacity for choice + growth emphasized the importance of having our needs for love + acceptance satisfied

  • self-concept, free will, self-esteem, self-actualization

carl rodgers + abraham maslaw

humanistic psychology

limit bias

• some require that researchers mislead participant about the true nature of the study

• if we tell beforehand, might alter behavior

• can’t deceive about risk factors + can’t falsify results

• participants must be told about deception during debriefing after the experiment

importance of expectations

what participants think will happen and the result of their anticipation

• placebo effect

• experimenter bias

  • double-blind study

experimenter bias

the researcher's expectations unconsciously impact the case/outcome

double-blind study

nobody knows (best case)

positive correlation!!

↑↑

negative correlation!!

↑↓

correlations

two factors associated and tracked together

quantitative

numbers, gathering data

qualitative

subjective, narrative, experiencesc

cross-disciplinary research

psychologists work w/ researchers from other fields