What
is, History, and Methods of Psychology
Learning Objectives
1. Define Psychology and trace its historical
development.
2. Briefly describe the major philosophical issues in
psychology.
3. Identify some of the professional and research
interests of psychologists.
4. Discuss the scientific attitude and critical thinking.
5. Compare and contrast case studies, surveys, and
naturalistic observation and explain the importance of proper sampling.
6. Understand correlations and their use.
7. Identify the basic elements of an experiment and how
they can lead to a causal explanation.
8. Discuss the ethics of experimentation with both nonhumans
and humans.
9. Discuss several principles for effective learning an explain the SQ3R method.
“I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule,…not
to scorn human actions, but to understand them.”
- Benedict Spinoza, A Political Treatise,
1677
ch 1
I.
What is
Psychology?
A.
Greek roots psyche=soul,
mind logos=word
B.
The systematic
study of behavior and mental processes
C.
“The systematic
study of behavior and experience” (Kalat, 2005, p. 3).
II.
Psychology’s
Roots
A.
Pre-scientific
Psychology
1.
c. 350
2.
c. 320
3.
c. 1620 – Francis
Bacon
4.
c. 1640 – René Descartes
5.
c. 1670 - John Locke
empiricism
– the view that knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and science
flourishes through observation and experiment
B.
Psychological
Science is Born
1.
1879 – Wilhelm Wundt – “atoms of the mind”
2.
c. 1892 – Edward Titchener – structuralism
3.
1890 – William
James – functionalism
4.
1859 – Charles Darwin
– comparative psychology
C.
Psychological
Science Develops
1.
1892 – American
Psychological Association (
2.
1900 – Sigmund Freud
– psychoanalysis
3.
1905 – Alfred Binet – intelligence testing
4.
1906 – Ivan
Pavlov – animal learning
5.
1919 – John B.
Watson – behaviorism
III. Major Philosophical Issues in Psychology
A.
Free Will vs.
Determinism
B.
Mind-Brain Problem
C.
Nature-Nurture
IV.Psychology’s
Perspectives
A.
Neuroscience
B.
Evolutionary
C.
Behavior genetics
D.
Psychodynamic
E.
Behavioral
F.
Cognitive
G.
Social-cultural
V.
Fields of
Psychology – What Psychologists Do
A.
Teaching &
Research
Biological,
Evolutionary, Learning and Motivation, Cognitive, Developmental, Social
B.
Service Providers
Clinical
Psychology, Psychiatry, Clinical Social Worker, Forensic Psychology
C.
Other Service
Providers
Industrial/Organizational
Psychology, School Psychology, Ergonomics
ch 2
VI.Scientific
Attitude
A.
Critical thinking
B.
Theory
C.
Intuition and
common sense
D.
Hindsight bias
E.
Overconfidence
VII.
Gathering and
Evaluating Evidence in Psychology
A.
The Scientific
Method
1.
Hypothesis
2.
Method
3.
Results
4.
Interpretation
B.
Replication
C.
Parsimony
VIII.
Conducting
Psychological Research
A.
General
Principles:
1.
Operational
Definitions
2.
Sampling
3.
Bias
B.
Research Designs:
1.
Description –
describe behavior
a)
Case Study
b)
Survey
c)
Naturalistic
Observation
2.
Correlation –
predict behavior
a)
Illusory
correlations
b)
Correlation and
causation
3.
Experimentation –
cause and effect
a)
Experimental
condition
b)
Control condition
c)
Random assignment
d)
Independent
variable
e)
Dependent
variable
f)
Placebo
g)
Double-blind
procedure
IX.Ethical
Considerations in Psychology
A.
Is it ethical to
experiment on nonhumans?
B.
Is it ethical to
experiment on humans?
1.
Informed consent
2.
Protect from harm
or discomfort
3.
Confidentiality
4.
Explain research
(debrief)
X.
Tips for Studying
A. SQ3R – Survey,
Question, Read, Rehearse,
Review
1. Survey
2. Question
3. Read
4. Rehearse
5. Review
B. Additional study tips:
1. Distribute your study time
2. Learn to think critically
3. In class, listen actively
4. Overlearn
5. Be a smart test taker