Intro To Psych

Post-it Activity: What questions do you want answered in this course? What do you know about psychology already?
Perspective Activity: What do you think the Six Blind men has to do with Psychology? How does understanding the Biopsychosocial approach help to illustrate the need for deeper understanding and respect for different perspectives on the same object of observation?

Topics: Science Inquiry Skills (SIS), Cognitive Psychology, Emotion, and Forensic Psychology.
SACE Requirements: South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) does not accept preventable technology issues as excuses for late work. Extensions require written evidence such as a doctor's certificate.
Medical Student Syndrome: The tendency for students to believe they or others have symptoms of the illnesses they study; diagnosis must only be performed by qualified mental health professionals.

Definition: The systematic study of thoughts, feelings, and behaviour, and the factors influencing them.
Nature of Field: Psychology is a science; the primary focus in Stage 1 is behaviour.
Behaviour: Any observable action performed by a living person or animal. It is distinct from thoughts and feelings, which cannot be directly observed.
Psychologist vs. Psychiatrist:
- Psychologist: Trained in various psychology aspects; cannot prescribe medication in Australia; focuses on specific behaviour symptoms.
- Psychiatrist: A medical practitioner focusing on the biology of disorders; prescribes medications.

Biological (Bio): Focuses on factors within the body, such as genetics, biochemistry (drugs, alcohol, food), physiological responses (heart rate, sweating), hormones (testosterone, adrenaline, cortisol), and gender.
Psychological (Psycho): Focuses on factors within the brain/mind, including perception, learning, memories, cognition, personality, emotions, intelligence, and motivation.
Social: Focuses on external environmental factors, such as family, friendship groups, social networks, global location, media, culture, and religion.

Independent Variable (IV): The variable manipulated or controlled by the researcher.
Dependent Variable (DV): The variable measured as a result of the IV.
Operationalising: Gaining specific details about how the IV and DV are manipulated and measured (e.g., measuring "alertness" as "time taken to run $400\,m$ ").
Hypothesis: A testable prediction containing the direction of interaction, the population, the IV, and the DV.
Extraneous Variables (EV): Uncontrolled factors that may affect the DV instead of the IV.

Experimental: Involves random allocation, a control group (no treatment), and an experimental group (receives treatment). Allows for causation to be established.
Observational: Research conducted in natural settings where the IV is pre-existing or naturally occurring and is NOT manipulated.
Qualitative: Uses language and words to gather in-depth data.
- Focus Groups: Informal group interviews with $\text{6}$ to $\text{15}$ people facilitated by a leader.
- Surveys: Questionnaires or interviews used to gather attitudes from large groups.

Objective Quantitative: Numerical data free from bias, such as physiological measures (heart rate, blood pressure) or standardised tests.
Subjective Quantitative: Numerical data based on opinion, typically using a Likert scale (e.g., rating from $1$ to $5$ ).
Qualitative: Subjective data using words, language, or pictures (e.g., open-ended questionnaire responses).

Central Tendency:
- Mean: Average result (sum divided by total values).
- Median: Exact middle score; useful when extreme outliers are present.
- Mode: Most frequently occurring value.
- Range: The difference between the highest and lowest values.
Evaluation Factors:
- Representativeness: Whether the sample reflects the target population (e.g., using both genders and a wide age range from $18$ to $75$ ).
- Sample Size: Larger samples provide more reliable data (e.g., $1000$ participants vs. $30$ ).
- Validity: Whether the test measures what it claims to measure (includes internal, external, and ecological validity).
- Reliability: The consistency of results; affected by random errors.

Definition: When a participant's response is influenced by their beliefs or expectations rather than the actual procedure.
Derren Brown Study: A mentalist who performed a placebo experiment using a fake drug called Rumyodin to "cure" fears.

Informed Consent: Participants must be informed of rights and risks; participants under $18$ require parental consent.
Voluntary Participation: No bribery, threats, or coercion to participate.
Confidentiality: Data must be anonymous; personal information is not released.
Right to Withdraw: Participants can leave the study at any time without penalty.
Debriefing: Researcher explains the process and reveals any Deception used after the experiment.
General Wellbeing: Ensuring no physical or psychological harm occurs.
Accurate Reporting: Obligation to publish honest results and acknowledge other researchers' work.
Animal Welfare: Strict codes in Australia regarding the care and justification of using animals in research.
Case Study: A Class Divided: A $1968$ experiment by teacher Jane Elliot who divided students by eye colour to demonstrate discrimination.