Chapter 1 The science of psychology

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

Psychologist vs Psychiatrist

Psychologist

1. PhD or PsyD in psych

2. (can prescribe medication ONLY with extra training)

Psychiatrist

1. Medical School (specialist)

2. MD or DO

3. PRESCRIBE MEDICATION

Both

1. provide therapy

2. teach

3. conduct research

how many psychological theoretical perspectives are there?

6

What are the 6 theoretical perspectives

1. Psychodynamic perspective

2. Behavioral perspective

3. Humanistic perspective

4. Cognitive perspective

5. Neuroscience perspective

6. Sociocultural perspective

Psychodynamic perspective

UNCONSCIOUS impulses and conflicts drive our behavior (“UNCONSCIOUS MATTERS”)

who founded the psychodynamic perspective?

Sigmund Freud

According to the psychodynamic perspective, do you control your behavior

no, your unconscious controls your behavior and your unconscious is inherently unknowable

according to the psychodynamic perspective, what is the largest influencer in personality development

childhood experiences

psychodynamic perspective, deterministic?

yes

Behavioral perspective

Environment causes observable behavior.

Learned rewards and punishments determine your behavior

what do the 6 theoretical perspectives attempt to answer

what causes/impacts human behavior

Who were major players in behavioral psychology’s founding.

Skinner and Watson

is behavioral psychology deterministic?

yes. your thoughts and feelings don’t matter.

Humanistic perspective

Believes that people are born with an innate capacity and desire for personal growth, goal is self actualization

“Free will matters”

what theoretical perspective founded the positive psychology movement

humanistic perspective

Cognitive perspective

Thinking causes behavior/ “matters”

emphasizes mental processes

examples of mental processes

perception, attention, memory, and problem solving

who was an important foundational researcher in cognitive psychology

Piaget (1960)

Neuroscience perspective

Biology determines/influences a person’s behavior (Biology “matters”)

connects behavior and biology

thinking/feeling and physical biology both

impact eachother

Sociocultural perspective

social and cultural factors impact a person’s thoughts and behaviors (OTHER PEOPLE matter)

Social expectations and there impacts

when was the Sociocultural perspective popularized

post WWII

what is the goal of the sociocultural perspective

identify universal principals of human behavior and culturally specific ones

what is the preferred psychological perspective today

an eclectic perspective (utilize multiple perspectives and theories to best explain behaviors)

Steps of the Scientific Method

(Cycle)

Theory => Hypothesis (1) => Research

1. Accurate Prediction , form a new hypothesis under the same theory (increases confidence in theory)

2. Inaccurate Prediction,

   re-analyze the test, the theory, and you may have to scrap it.

Theory

an explanation that organizes thoughts on behavior that is based upon general beliefs.

(Multiple) Hypotheses support a theory

CAN’T PROVE A THEORY, ONLY SUPPORT

Hypothesis

a testable prediction often utilizing operational definitions

operational definitions

utilized to better the ability of test/research replication

the specification of what a certain abstract concept is being recorded by based on an observable action

(exp) A test may use the operational definition of aggression as the number of physical attacks or shouts made by the subject.

Population

The entirety of the group of interest

(exp: U.S Citizens)

Sample

a subset/small group of the population

what type of sample do researches strive for?

representative sample

Representative Sample

a sample that proportionally represents all subgroups of the population in the sample

(exp): 50% of the population is women, therefore 50% of the sample should be women in order for the sample to be representative

How do researches create a representative sample

Random Selection

How do researchers create representative control, and experimental groups

Random Assignment

Random selection

each subject in the population has an equal chance of being a part of the sample

Random assignment

each subject in the sample group has an equal chance of being a part of the experimental or control group

Data collection styles

1. observation

2. survey and interview

3. case studies

Observation (Data collection)

watch and record behavior (natural setting or lab)

PROs and CONs of observation data collection

PRO: see real/natural behavior

CON: being watched changes behavior and you can’t see everything

$$$

Survey and interview (data collection)

directly ask a person about their behavior

PROs and CONS of survey data collection

PRO: can ask about anything, cheap, large samples, faster

CON: subjects can lie, social desirability bias

Social Desirability Bias

the bias of a subject to look better than they actually are.

Case study (data collection)

a long, tremendously detailed study on a specific individual or select small group

(exp) Phineas Gage

PROs and CONs of Case studies

PRO: learn what is possible (leads to potential hypotheses)

CON: doesn’t show what is probable

Types of Research in Psych

1. Descriptive

2. Correlational

3. Experimental

Descriptive Research

a research method that describes the current state of the research subject

what is there NOW?

learn about variables

Correlational Research

a research method that discovers relationships and patterns that can lead to predictions (No manipulation involved)

what goes together

1. positive vs negative

2. strong vs weak

DOESN’T SHOW CAUSATION

Experimental Research

a research method that discovers causation (Manipulation involved)

1. independent variable

2. dependent variable

3. confounding variables

4. experimental vs control group

5. ethicality

what method of research has ethicality issues

experimental

correlation coefficient

r

when r is positive

the correlation is positive, implying a direct relationship between the two topics of interest

As A increases/decreases B also increases/decreases (same as A)

when r is negative

the correlation is negative direct implying an inverse relationship between the two topics of interest

as A increases/decreases, B does the opposite

r can be any value between

-1 and 1

what indicates a strong or weak correlation

the closer r is to -1 or 1 stronger it is

The closer r is to zero, the weaker it is

experimental group

the group in an experiment that is exposed to the manipulated/ independent variable

Control group

the group in an experiment not exposed to the independent variable

(acts as the normal base to compare the experimental group against to see any actual improvement or detriment caused by the IV)

sometimes the Placebo group

Independent Variable (IV)

manipulated variable

Dependent variable (DV)

observable variable.

what changes due to the IV

Confounding variables

variables that change systematically or parallel to the IV, hiding what is the true causal factor

the three types of confounding variables

1. Group Bias

2. Participant Bias

3. Experimenter Bias

Group Bias

pre-existing group differences

EXP: one group started off naturally smarter

Solution: Random Assignment

Participant Bias

Participants act differently due to their expectations (Changes DV results)

Solution: Single masked/blind/uninformed study

Single Masked Study

participants do not know whetherr they are in the experimental group or the control group

Experimenter Bias

experimenter treats groups differently based on expectations (changes DV results)

Solution: Double masked/blind/uninformed study

Double masked study

both researchers and experimenters do not know which group is experimental or control

informed consent

an ethical requirement in experimentation where the participant is made aware of what the experiment will entail. thus informing the participants consent to participate.

the participant can withdraw at any time.

Confidentiality

an ethical requirement in experimentation where a participant’s name and info should never be available to the public or anyone besides the researchers.

Debriefing

an ethical requirement in experimentation where if deception of the participant was necessary, the participant must be informed of the deception after the study concludes.

How old is the science of psychology?

150 years old

proportion of psychologists in a clinical/service setting

1/2

proportion of psychologists in an academic setting?

1/3

psychology as a science focuses on

answering basic questions (research)

psychology as a profession focuses on

the application of the science (clinical work)

Modern psychology is trending towards

1. more specialization

2. more neuroscientific focus

3. more public interest and diversity based application

4. more cross-cultural emphasis (LESS ON WEIRD SCIENCE)

5. more emphasis on positive psychology

WEIRD science stands for

Western Educated Industrialized Rich Democratic Societies

Why study animals?

1. helps animals

2. helps humans

3. gives researchers more variable control

4. more options/ less ethical issues

5. animals have shorter life spans allowing for research that requires life cycles (dementia studies)

what percentage of published studies are done on animals?

7-8%

90% of those studies are done on mice, rats, and pigeons.