Psychology 100 Chapter 1

7 themes of psychology

-relies on empirical evidence and adapts as new data develops

-explains general principles that govern behavior

-psychological, biological, social and cultural factors influence behavior and mental processes

-values diversity promotes equity and fosters inclusion

-our perceptions and biases filter our experiences of the world

-applying psychological principles can change our lives

-ethical principles guide our research/practice

3 levels of analysis in psychology

-psychological level: cognitive and personality

-biological level: hormones, brain, genes

-social: interactions (cultural: region, state, community where you grew up)

What is the scientific method?

a systematic process of observing phenomena to answer question

5 steps to scientific method?

-making a question/define the problem

-hypothesis-testiable

-set up research method

-data collection/analyze data

-share results

Types of research methods

-descriptive methods

-correlation methods

-experimental methods

Descriptive methods:

-qualitative

-verbal descriptions

-case studies

-observational studies

-self-reports

What are case studies:

follow one specific subject or small population

What are case studies limitations:

-subject

-can’t generalize

-no control

What are observational studies:

systematically assessing and coding observable behavior (2 types)

What are the two types of observational studies?

-naturalistic (what happens when something happens

-structured (instigate something)

What are the limitations to observational studies?

-only describes, can’t explain

-observer bias

-inconsistency

-effect of observer

What are self-reports?

directly obtaining information from participants by asking questions

What are limitations to self-reports?

-wording effects

-self-reporting bias

-inaccurate recall

Correlational methods

allows researchers to examine how variable are naturally related in the real world

Experimental methods

allows researcher to determine whether one thing causes another

Random sampling

every person has a chance of getting selected

random assignment

randomly assign people in groups

internal validity

how confident can we be in the results of the study

external validity

how well do the results of the study we can generalize to other groups

Ethics in research

-privacy

-confidentiality

-informed consent

-protection from harm

Theoretical Perspectives

-neuroscience

-evolutionary

-behavioral genetics

-psychodynamic

-behavioral

-cognitive

-social-cultural

Steps for research:

-researcher manipulates =IV or more

-randomly assign= 2 or more groups

-measure=DV

-analyzes

-conclusion