Psychology:Intro

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

psychologists try to

describe, predict, and explain human behavior

Behavioral neuroscience

focuses on how the brain and the nervous system, as well as other biological aspects of the body

Experimental psychology

studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world.

Cognitive psychology

a subspecialty of experimental psychology focusing on higher mental processes

Developmental psychology

studies how people grow and change from the moment of conception through death.

Personality psychology

focuses on consistency in people’s behavior across their lives as well as traits that differentiate one person from another.

Health psychology

explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or diseases.

Clinical psychology

deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders.

Counseling psychology

focuses primarily on educational, social, and career adjustment problems.

Social psychology

studies how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.

Cross-cultural psychology

investigates the similarities and differences in psychological functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups.

Evolutionary psychology

considers how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our ancestors.

Behavioral genetics

seeks to understand how we might inherit certain behavioral traits and how the environment influences whether we actually display such traits.

Clinical neuropsychology

unites the areas of neuroscience and clinical psychology and focuses on the origin of psychological disorders in biological factors.

Diversity science

uses scientific methods to understand how society’s diversity affects individual and group behavior.

How many psychologists are working in America today?

180,000

Where do most psychologist work?

An academic setting

What percentage of psychlogists are members of racial minority groups?

16%

PhD

a research degree that requires a dissertation based on an original investigation.

PsyD

obtained by psychologists who want to focus on the treatment of psychological disorders.

psychiatrists

doctors who have a medical degree to specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.

Careers for psychology majors

•Customer service.

•Leadership.

•Microsoft Office.

•Management.

•Sales.

Structuralism

a focus on uncovering the fundamental mental components of consciousness, thinking, and other kinds of mental states and activities.

Introspection

a procedure used to study the structure of the mind in which subjects are asked to describe in detail what they are experiencing when they are exposed to a stimulus

Functionalism

an approach that concentrates on what the mind does and the role of behavior in allowing people to adapt to their environments.

Gestalt psychology

uses a series of principles to describe how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes.

Margaret Floy Washburn worked on animal behavior

•First woman to receive a doctorate in psychology.

Leta Stetter Hollingworth was one of the first psychologists to focus on child development and on women’s issues.

•Refuted the view that women’s abilities periodically declined during their menstrual cycle.

Mary Calkins studied memory

the first female president of the American Psychological Association

Karen Horney focused on the social and cultural factors behind personality.

Founded the American Journal of Psychoanalysis.

June Etta Downey

the first woman to head a psychology department at a state university

Anna Freud

made notable contributions to the treatment of abnormal behavior

Mamie Phipps Clark

pioneered work on how children of color grew to recognize racial differences.

Neuroscience perspective

the approach that views behavior from the perspective of the brain, the nervous system, and other biological functions.

Psychodynamic perspective

the approach based on the view that behavior is motivated by inner forces and conflicts about which we have little awareness or control.

Behavioral perspective

the approach that suggests that the focus should be on external behavior that can be objectively measured and observed.

Cognitive perspective

the approach that focuses on how people think, understand, and know about the world.

Humanistic perspective

suggests individuals naturally strive to grow, develop, and be in control of their lives and behavior.

Scientific method

an approach through which psychologists systematically acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior and other phenomena of interest.

Theories

broad explanations and predictions concerning observations of interest.

Hypothesis

a prediction, stemming from a theory, stated in a way that allows it to be tested

Operational definition

the translation of a hypothesis into specific, testable procedures that can be measured and observed.

Archival research

existing data are examined to test a hypothesis.

Naturalistic observation

an investigator observes some naturally occurring behavior and does not make a change in the situation.

Survey research

people chosen to represent a larger population are asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes.

Ethnographic research

seeks to understand the attitudes and values of a culture using in-depth, extended examination of people in their own environment.

Case study

an in-depth, intensive investigation of an individual or a small group of people.

Variables

behaviors, events, or other characteristics that can change, or vary, in some way.

Correlational research

the relationship between two sets of variables is examined to determine whether they are associated or correlated.

Experiment

the investigation of the relationship between two (or more) variables by deliberately producing a change in one variable in a situation and observing the effects on the second variable.

Experimental manipulation

the change that an experimenter deliberately produces in a situation.

Treatment

the manipulation implemented by the experimenter.

Experimental group

any group participating in an experiment that receives a treatment.

Control group

a group participating in an experiment that receives no treatment.

Independent variable

the variable that is manipulated by an experimenter.

Dependent variable

the variable that is measured in an experiment.

Random assignment to condition

a procedure in which participants are assigned to different experimental groups or “conditions” on the basis of chance alone.

Significant outcome

indicates that the findings of a research study are statistically meaningful.

Replicated research

repetition of research, sometimes using other procedures, settings, and groups of participants

Informed consent

a document signed by participants affirming that they have been told about the basic outlines of the study and are aware of what their participation will involve.

Experimental bias

factors that distort the way the independent variable affects the dependent variable in an experiment.

Placebo

a false treatment, such as a pill, drug, or other substance, without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient.

Double-blind procedure

both the experimenter and the participant are “blind” to the nature of the substance being administered.