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Week 1: Critical Thinking in Psychology

Overview

• Instructor: Jason Bell

• Course Code: PSYC1101

• Focus Areas: Research design, perception, visual cognition

• Course Objective: Understanding psychology as a science and preparing for the lab report.

Key Topics Covered

Critical Thinking Lectures

1. Lecture Overview

   • History of Psychology

   • Integrating Perspectives

   • Scientific Thinking

   • Formulating Hypotheses

   • Types of Research Design

2. Second Lecture Focus

   • Interpreting Information

   • Experimental Research

   • Measurement and Variability

   • Meaningful Differences

   • Descriptive and Inferential Statistics

Historical Context of Psychology

• Psychology's Evolution:

  • Philosophy: Root of psychological thought.

  • Phrenology: Study of skull shape related to personality developed by Franz Gall; popular in 19th century.

  • Behaviorism: Focuses on observable behavior and the role of the environment.

  • Cognitive and Biological Perspectives: Include modern approaches.

Questioning Perspectives

• Discuss: What role does the brain play in behavior?

• Philosophy of mind: Are mind and brain identical?

  • Monism: Mind and brain as the same entity.

  • Dualism: Mind and brain as separate functions.

• Mind-Body Problem: Connection between mental and physical states.

Key Psychological Perspectives

1. Phrenology

• Examination of skull shape as an indicator of character.

2. Behaviorism

• Focuses on learned behaviors through interactions with the environment.

  • Concepts:

    • Tabula Rasa (John Locke),

    • Classical Conditioning (Pavlov),

    • Operant Conditioning (Skinner).

3. Psychodynamic Theory (Sigmund Freud)

• Focus on unconscious motivations and early experiences.

• Components:

  • Id: Reservoir of instinctual drives.

  • Ego: Manager of personality.

  • Superego: Repository of moral values.

4. Cognitive Perspective

• Explores how mental processes affect behavior, involving reasoning, language, and problem-solving.

5. Biological Perspective

• Examines how bodily functions, including brain processes, impact behavior.

  • Includes Behavioral Neuroscience and Behavior Genetics.

The Nature of Psychology

• Psychology: The scientific study of behavior and the mind.

  • Behavior: Observable actions.

  • Mind: Internal processes and states.

• Multidisciplinary approaches: Integrating various fields in psychological studies.

Scientific Method in Psychology

1. Identify a question.

2. Gather information and formulate a hypothesis.

3. Test hypothesis through research methods.

4. Analyze data to draw conclusions.

5. Build a body of knowledge through theories.

Thinking Like a Scientist

• Structured evaluation of claims

  • Questions to consider:

    • What is the claim?

    • What evidence supports or rejects it?

    • Are there alternative explanations?

• Pitfalls to avoid

  • Mental shortcuts, confirmation bias, etc.

Research Methods

1. Correlational Studies:

   • Examining relationships; does not imply causation.

   • Useful for generating hypotheses.

2. Observational Methods:

   • Naturalistic observations; understanding behaviors in context.

   • Risks include observer bias.

3. Case Studies:

   • In-depth focus on a single subject or situation.

   • Provides rich qualitative data.

4. Surveys/Questionnaires:

   • Collecting data from a large group

   • Strength in speed and quantity but subject to biases.

Summary

• Understanding the history and perspectives of psychology creates a foundation for scientific inquiry.

• Next class will cover experimental manipulation and statistical methods.