AICE Psychology Notes

WEEK 3: Introduction to Psychology

1. What is Psychology?

Psychology is the systematic and scientific study of human and animal behavior and mental processes.

2. Why is Psychology important/useful?

Psychology is important because it allows us, humans, to better understand, explain, predict, and prevent/treat certain diseases found in Psychology.

3. How is behavior studied?

Behavior is studied through observable and measurable data. So essentially by observing something, and being able to put that into numbers or explanations.

4. What is meant by Science?

Science is knowledge and a way of learning/understanding something.

5. What are the steps in the Scientific method?

The first step is observing something in the world, that makes you think. It could be something as simple as:

“Most people scrolling on TikTok for most of their lunch break”.

Step Two is asking a question to try to understand why that observation was made. Following this TikTok example, a question would look like

“Why are most people choosing to scroll on TikTok for most of their breaks?”

Step three Would be a hypothesis, like a broad statement to try and test it with one of the approaches. For example:

“Maybe the people scrolling on TikTok have nothing else better to do so they scroll on TikTok”.

Step Four is testing this hypothesis with one of the five studies: Case Studies, Experiments, Interviews, Self-Reports, and Correlations

After that, you are going to gather data and develop a theory, and then this process will start over once again.

6. What is meant by NORMAL in Psychology?

Normal is the normal thing that most individuals are used to following. Could be an idea, belief, or manners in school.

7. What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of the four Psychological approaches?

Biological Approach

Dement and Kleitman were using Biological

Strengths:

Weaknesses

• Biological deals with the genes, hormones, and chemicals of the brain therefore it is more straightforward, in the sense that it is objective.

• The biological approach can also be applied to every single human on this planet because we are all biologically equal to each other.

• Although it is more Straightforward and more objective, this can be a problem because it might overlook other factors, and other learning approaches (Social, Learning, and Cognitive) therefore it can make the data unreliable to work with.

Cognitive Approach

Andrade was using the Cognitive Approach

Strengths

• Objective because it uses scientific methods

• Deals with the mind, which may be central (critical) towards human psychology

• Builds models to analyze the data

Weaknesses

• Interpreting data is subjective because there might be multiple ways to explain it.

• Isn’t it due to the lack of data overall? Because of Alzheimer's disease, we know that the bigger the hole in the middle (amygdala) the worse it is, however when they were still studying it, this perspective was likely changed.

• Reducing everything to your brain, because it will overlook other factors, and approaches.

• Makes the assumption that all input from people is equal, and doesn’t consider individual differences

Learning Approach

Pepperberg Study was using the Learning Approach

Assumptions

• Behavior can  be learned through consequences (Operant Conditioning)

• Behavior can be learned through association (Classical Conditioning)

• Learning can occur through observation (Social Learning)

• Experiences

• Background

Strengths

• Focuses on observable behaviors which makes this objective

• Creates a model of universal learning

• Provides explanations about how to prevent and unlearn diseases

• Research on animals can be later used on humans

Weaknesses

• Reductionists simply use methods to teach someone, so they will overlook genes, hormones, and other approaches

• Assumes we are Tabula Raza, Blank states, and everything we are is learned

Social Approach

Milgram's Study was using the Social Approach

• People can be changed/influenced through social and environmental factors

Strengths

• Able to discover norms of behavior within a certain (something) (bystander). Unwritten rules of society.

• Tends to be Holistic investing different levels of explanations and approaches.

Weaknesses

• Maybe ethnocentrically biased as social studies typically focus on one culture. Our research is centered in one’s culture.