Introducing Psychology Chapter 1

Introducing Psychology Chapter 1

Exploring Psychology Its 4 a.m. and “Steve” is engulfed in the green glare of his computer screen, one minute pretending he is a ruthless mafia lord masterminding a gambling empire, the next minute imagining he’s an evil sorcerer or alien life form. Steve, a college student, is playing a Multiple User Dungeon (MUD) game – a fictional game modeled after Dungeons and Dragons that is played by sending online messages to other players. But as he continually logs on for hours, Steve finds himself sleeping through classes, forgetting his homework, and slipping into “Internet addiction” 1. Why do you think that Steve is spending so much time on the internet when he knows the consequences of his actions? Needs 1. Physiological – having to do with a persons physical process (sleep/hunger) 2. Cognitive – having to do with a persons thinking and understanding (mental)

What is Psychology? The scientific study of behavior that is tested through scientific research Why study psychology? 1. Gain insight into behavior 2. Acquiring practical information

Goals of Psychology When a psychologist go about their study of humans and animals, they have several goals that they want to accomplish. 1. Description - Describe or gather information about the behavior being studied and present what is known - Example – describing a persons behavior or how they act in a certain situation

Goals of Psychology 2. Explanation - Explain why people or animals behave the way they do. - Explanations that become hypothesises 1. Hypothesis - An assumpion (or educated guess) about behavior - A prediction of what the results might be 2. Theory - A complex explanation based on findings from experiments

Goals of Psychology 3. Prediction - Predict a result based on accumulated knowledge of what organisms will do, think or feel in a certain situation - By studying past behaviors, psychologists can predict future behaviors 4. Influence - Influence behavior in helpful ways - Conducting studies with long-term goals of finding out more about human behavior - Using what we know to benefit people

Goals of Psychology Basic Science - Research - Conduction studies with a long term goal of finding out more about behavior Applied Science - Discovering ways to use scientific findings to solve more immediate problems

Research Methods Chapter 2

Observations - An act or instance of viewing a living being, that consists of receiving knowledge and recording of data for a scientific or other special purpose - Types 1. Naturalistic - Analyzing the behavior of humans and animals in their environment without interfering - Ex – Observing an animal in their natural habitat to gain knowledge about their eating habits 2. Controlled - Observations or analyzing done under laboratory conditions - Ex – Observing pre-school children in a classroom setting to gain knowledge about their behavior

Problem(s) with Observations 1. Naturalistic Length of time needed to get an accurate reading on a subject Remaining discreet Observers bias 2. Controlled Subject is aware that they are being watched and this may change their natural behavior

Case Study Method that involves an in-depth investigation that takes place over a period of time. The examination center around an individual, group or a single instance or event (a case) Combines long-term observations with diaries, tests and interviews As a result of the investigation, the researcher gains an understanding of why the event happened as it did.

Problem(s) with case studies Time consuming The actual case study does not prove or disprove anything because the results can’t be generalized or applied to anyone else

Surveys Practical way to gather data on attitudes, beliefs, and experiences Information is obtained by asking many individuals a fixed set of questions Types of Surveys 1. Interviews Allow the researcher to observe the participant and modify questions if the participant seems confused 2. Questionnaires Fixed set of questions that allow the results to be more uniform because everyone answers the same questions -

Problem(s) with surveys Participant might give misleading answers to make themselves “look good” Participant may be dishonest Surveyor may influence the participant with facial expressions Wording can influence results Questionnaires eliminate the possible for the participant to clarify their answer

Longitudinal Study Data is collected about a group of participants over a number of years to assess how certain characteristics change or remain the same during development – Repeated observations of the same items are done is regular intervals over time (often many decades) Often used to study developmental trends across the life span

Problem(s) with Longitudinal Studies The process is time consuming Researcher may lose contact with the participants Entire process can be expensive Differences observed are not likely to be applied to other

Cross-Sectional Study Involves observation of the entire population, or a representative subset, at a defined time. The goal is to provide data on the entire population under study May be used to describe some feature of the population or differences in the population due to age (likes or dislikes, rates, etc)

Problem(s) with crosssectional Studies Not representative of everyone, just a general idea

Correlations The measure of a relationship between 2 variables or sets of data Types of Correlations 1. Positive Correlation - Relationship consists of two sets of data who results are both high or both low - Example - The amount of time you study and the grade you get on your test 2. Negative Correlation - Relationship consists of 2 sets of data who results are one high and one low - Example - The longer you practice your golf swing and your score

Problem(s) with correlations The results are not always true Correlation does not imply causation – Could do things for long periods of time and never get better

Experiments Enables the investigator to control the situation to decrease the possibility that unnoticed, outside variables will influence results Variables 1. Independent - The variable that the experimenters change or alter so they can observe the effects 2. Dependant - The variable that changes in relation to the independent variable - Groups 1. Experimental - The group to which the independent variable is applied 2. Control - Treated the same way as the experimental group except that the independent variable is not applied

Scientific Method A general approach to gathering information and answering questions so that errors and biases are minimized. Question Hypothesis Experiment Additional Hypothesis Results Reject and Revise Hypothesis Conclusions Theory theories Other psychologists react and test their

Problem(s) with experiments The results of any experiment do not constitute the final word – Not fully accepted until replicated or duplicated by 1 or more Experiments are sometimes unethical