1.02 Principles of Psychological Research

How did applied psychology come about?

Academic psychologists focused their research on building the field's scientific knowledge base. Then World War II began in 1939 and forced many psychologists out of the labs and into military service. Academic psychologists became clinicians who screened new recruits and cared for soldiers who experienced trauma. Much to their surprise, clinicians found the work to be rewarding and decided to continue in this line of work after the war ended.

What is applied psychology?

applying psychological theories and principles to solve real-world problems

3 example of applied psychology

1. Health

2. Educational

3. Positive

What does health psychology focus on?

how biological, social, and psychological factors influence health and illness

Goals of health psychologists

1. prevent illness

2. help treat illness

3. promote good health

What is educational psychology?

Educational psychology uses research to develop theories about teaching and learning.

What is educational psychology used for?

to train teachers in psychological concepts, with the goal of improving teaching strategies to maximize student learning.

Who developed positive psychology and when?

Martin E. Seligman in 1998

Why did he develop positive psychology?

He wanted to remind today's psychologists of the goals academic psychologists had before World War II. He felt that instead of focusing on trauma and illness, psychologists needed to focus on strength, success, and happiness.

What does positive psychology do?

examines positive people in an attempt to help others achieve the same happiness

Why is the study of psychology unique?

it includes more diverse areas of research than any other science

What is the common goal of psychology?

to examine behavior and the reasons behind it

8 Subfields of Psychology

1. Biopsychology

2. Clinical Psychology

3. Developmental Psychology

4. Forensic Psychology

5. Industrial-Organizational Psychology

6. Personality Psychology

7. Social Psychology

8. School Psychology

What do biopsychologists study and explain?

They study the relationships between biology and psychology. They attempt to explain how those relationships influence behavior and understanding.

Example of what a biopsychologist might study

how your brain and eyes communicate to interpret the words you are reading on the screen

What perspective do biopsychologists use?

the biological perspective

What do clinical psychologists do?

They evaluate and treat people with psychological disorders.

Some clinical psychologists also conduct research focused on developing new treatments for disorders.

What are psychological disorders?

a pattern of behavior or mental symptoms that impact multiple life areas and create distress for the affected person

What perspective do clinical psychologists use?

the eclectic approach

What do developmental psychologists study?

how people grow and change physically, mentally, and emotionally over the course of a lifetime

example of what a developmental psychologist might specifically study

how the relationship between parents and children influences children's relationships later in life, as teenagers or adults

What perspective do developmental psychologists use?

biological, behavioral or cognitive perspective

What do forensic psychologists do?

apply psychological principles to legal issues

They use their knowledge of psychology and criminal justice to advise legal experts.

example of what a forensic psychologist might do

often called upon to help lawyers choose members of a jury that will decide the outcome of a case

What perspective do forensic psychologists base their advice?

a variety of perspectives

What do industrial/organizational psychologists do?

apply psychological principles and research to benefit businesses and organizations

Example of what a I/O psychologist might do

they might conduct personality tests on employees. They may use those results to advise a business or organization on which individuals are best suited to fill an open job position

What is a personality test?

a test that aims to evaluate and describe the aspects of a person's character, including patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings

What perspective do I/O psychologists base their info?

a variety of perspectives

What does personality psychology do?

examines personality, which is the set of characteristics that influence a person's thoughts, motivations, and behaviors.

What is personality?

the set of characteristics that influence a person's thoughts, motivations, and behaviors

What idea is personality psychology based on?

the idea that all people are similar in some ways and different in others

Example of what a personality psychologist might study

a personality psychologist might study why some people tend to procrastinate and save work until the last minute and why others prefer to start work long before a due date.

What 4 perspectives does personality psychology use?

biological, social-cultural, cognitive & behavioral perspectives

What do social psychologists focus on?

the study of social behaviors and how people act in groups.

They examine how people's behaviors are impacted by the social environment.

What perspective does social psychology use?

social-cultural perspective

What do school psychologists do?

apply psychology principles to diagnose and treat behavior and learning problems in children and teenagers.

Who do school psychologists primarily work with?

educators and families to address behavioral and academic concerns at school

What perspective does school psychology reflect?

the biological and cognitive perspectives, but may also include elements of the social-cultural perspective

What is an operational definition?

a statement of the procedures or ways in which a researcher is going to measure behaviors or qualities

4 Descriptive methods psychologists use

1. Naturalistic Observation

2. Case Studies

3. Surveys

4. Correlation vs. Causation

What is naturalistic observation?

the process of observing a subject in his or her natural environment without any manipulation by the researcher

Explain case studies

- allow in depth research of an individual or group

- only provide information about each individual case. The results cannot be generalized to other people.

What are surveys?

a fast and inexpensive way to ask people's opinions and gather data

What is a correlation?

a statistical measure that reflects the relationship between two variables

What do psychologists use correlation for?

to predict how variables are going to influence each other

What 3 things does an experiment begin with?

creating a hypothesis, defining variables, and forming experimental groups

What is the independent variable?

the one thing that is changed by the experimenter

What is the dependent variable?

responds to changes in the independent variable and is the factor that is measured in the experiment.

Explain random assignment

defined as every participant having an equal chance of being in either the experimental group or the control group