Psychology, Griggs Chap 1

What is Psychology?

The science of behavior and mental processes.

What is Observable Behavior?

Actions you can see; Fidgeting, walking, talking.

What is Mental Process?

Internal activities you can’t see; Thinking, memory, problem solving.

What do Psychologists do?

Study behaviors, mental processes and genetics. They’re researchers and teachers, can provide solutions but not medication, (Except in New Mexico)

What are psychiatrists?

Psychologists who can prescribe medication.

Example of what a psychologist can do?

Helping a client with anxiety through therapy.

Example of what psychiatrists can do?

Prescribe medication for depression.

Behavioral Perspective

How conditioning and environment shape behavior. Parenting, teaching, punishment.

Example of Behavioral Perspective

A child learning not to touch a hot stove after being burned once.

Socio-Cultural Perspective

The impact of society/community and culture on behavior and values.

Example of Socio-Cultural Perspective

Amish community practices affecting daily routines.

Customs, taboos, religions, beliefs, superstitions

External Perspectives

Behavioral and Socio-Cultural

Cognitive Perspective

Mental Process, perception, memory and problem solving.

Example of Cognitive

Those with autism are more sensitive to sound than others.

Biological

How brain and nervous system affects behavior, considers genetics.

Example of Biological

How neurotransmitters like serotonin might contribute to depression, or how testosterone levels can impact aggression.

Genetic tendency to mental disorders.

Internal Perspectives

Cognitive and Biological

Hindsight Bias

Belief that you “knew it all along” after knowing the outcome of an event.

Experimental Method

Exploring cause-effect relationships by manipulating variables.

Experimental Method Example

Testing the effect of a new teaching method based on student performance.

Observational Research

Watching subjects in their natural environment to observe natural behavior.

Observational Research Example

Observing animal’s behavior in their natural habitat.

Observing student’s behavior on playground,

Case Study

Studies an individual over time.

Case Study Example

Observing a patient with a deficit or problem to help with treatment.

Survey Research

Questionnaires and interviews to collect information on behaviors and beliefs about a group of people. Uses random sampling.

Survey Research Examples

Customer satisfaction surveys

Lifestyle habit surveys

Online, paper/mail, telephonic

What can descriptive research methods not do?

Explain why it’s happening. Only used to tell what is happening.

Correlation Studies

Measure relationship between variables but cannot determine cause-and-effect.

Correlation Studies Example

Correlation between time spent studying and academic performance.

Independent Variable

The cause in an experiment.

Ex. “Shoplifters Warning” signs in a store.

Dependent

The effect(ed) in an experiment.

Ex. Amount of merchandise stolen.

Experimental Group

Receives treatment/is tested in experiment.

Ex. Store with warning signs.

Control Group

Group not tested on/default.

Ex. Store without signs.

What can correlation studies not do?

Talk about cause-and-effect.

Ex. Self-esteem decreases, depression increases. But we cannot conclude that low self-esteem causes depression. 

Third Variable Problem

Another variable that may be responsible for the relationship observed between two variables.

Ex. A city has many churches and a high crime rate, this is not because of the churches; but because there is a larger population. (Third variable)

Random Sampling

Getting a representative group from a larger population.

Random Assignment

A way of sorting the sample participants into control and experimental groups.

Operational Definition

Clear description of how variables are measured or manipulated. Important so variables/experiment can be replicated

Operational Definition Example

 The operational definition of aerobic exercise would include the type and the duration of the activity.

100 degrees Celsius may be operationally defined as the process of heating water at sea level until it is observed to boil

Placebo Group

Receives inactive pill as “treatment” to compare with experimental group.

Double-Blind Procedure

Both participants and experimenters are unaware of group assignments to avoid bias in experiment results.

Double-Blind Example

In a drug trial, neither participants nor researchers know who is receiving the real drug or a placebo.

Descriptive Statistics

Summarizes data.

Ex. Mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation.

Mean

Average score of statistics; add all scores together, then divide the total by the number of scores given previously.

Ex. 3 + 11 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 9 + 6 = 47

47 / 7 = 6.7

Median

Arranging numbers from lowest to highest to find the “middle score.”

Mode

Most frequently occurring score.

Range

Subtract lowest value from greatest value.

Difference between scores.

Standard Deviation

Average extent that scores may vary from the mean.

Inferential Statistics

Draw conclusions about a population from a sample.

Ex. Using data from survey to infer opinions of all students in a school.

Statistical Significance

Whether results are likely due to chance.

Ex.  A new teaching method significantly improving students test scores compared to traditional methods.

Dimensions of Correlation

Direction; Pos/Neg

Degree; Strength

Form; Linear/Straight, NonLinear/Scattered

Positive Correlation

Both variables go in same direction.

Positive Correlation Example

Higher study time = Higher grades

Less smoking = Less breathing issues

Negative Correlation Example

Variables move away from each other.

Negative Correlation Examples

Increased stress = Decreased performance

Temperature decrease = Cocoa sales increase

Negative Correlation Scatterplot

Points linear downwards

Positive Correlation Scatterplot

Points linear upwards

No Correlation Scatterplot

Points scattered