Introduction to Psychology Instructor Ray Hawkins Ph D Office SEA 2 208 MWF 2 PM 3 PM by appt Phone 512 232 3354 TA Kyle Stephenson Syllabus Web page http homepage psy u texas edu homepage c lass Psy301 Hawkins Myers EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY 7th Ed Chapter 1 Thinking Critically with Psychological Science James A McCubbin PhD Aneeq Ahmad Ph D Modified by Ray Hawkins Ph D Worth Publishers Thinking Critically With Psychological Science What is Psychology Psychology s Roots Contemporary Psychology Thinking Critically Why Do Psychology What About Intuition and Common Sense The Scientific Attitude Critical Thinking Thinking Critically How Do Psychologists Ask and Answer Questions The Scientific Method Description Correlation Experimentation Thinking Critically FAQs About Psychology Tips for Studying Psychology Psychology s Roots Prescientific Psychology Is the mind connected to the body or distinct Are ideas inborn or is the mind a blank slate filled by experience Film Psychology s Roots Prescientific Psychology Philosophy Greek Roman conceptualization of human experience as contemporary history making a philosophy of the moral life a reason to excel David McCullough CSPAN interview 8 7 05 Empiricism knowledge comes from experience via the senses science flourishes through observation and experiment psychological science refutes three theories of human nature Pinker 2005 Locke s blank slate Rousseau s noble savage and Descarte s ghost in the machine Psychology s Roots Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig c 1879 Structure vs Function Structuralism Analyze consciousness into basic elements Introspection Systematic selfobservation in response to tones optical illusions fruit Sensation Perception Functionalism Investigate purpose of consciousness not structure Stream of consciousness Consciousness is a continuous flow of thoughts not static Mental testing development education individual differences Psychology s Roots Structuralism used introspection looking in to explore the elemental structure of the human mind Psychology s Roots Functionalism focused on how behavioral processes function how they enable organism to adapt survive and flourish Academic vs Popular Psychology Historical overview of Psychology the teaching of Introductory Psychology some guiding anecdotes Psychology s Roots Myers Definition of Psychology The science of behavior what we do and mental processes sensations perceptions dreams thoughts beliefs and feelings Psychology s Big Question Nature versus Nurture The controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience Nurture works on what nature endows Psychology s Three Main Levels of Analysis Contemporary Psychology Psychology s Subfields Research Psychologist Biological Developmental Cognitive Personality Social What she does Explore the links between brain and mind Study changing abilities from womb to tomb Study how we perceive think and solve problems Investigate our persistent traits Explore how we view and affect one another Psychology s Subfields Research Data APA 1997 Psychology s Subfields Applied Psychologist Clinical Counseling Educational Industrial Organizational What she does Studies assesses and treats people with psychological disorders Helps people cope with academic vocational and marital challenges Studies and helps individuals in school and educational settings Studies and advises on behavior in the workplace Psychology s Subfields Applied Data APA 1997 Clinical Psychology vs Psychiatry A clinical psychologist Ph D studies assesses and treats troubled people with psychotherapy Psychiatrists on the other hand are medical professionals M D who use treatments like drugs and psychotherapy to treat psychologically diseased patients Why Do Psychology 1 How can we differentiate between uniformed opinions and examined conclusions 2 The science of psychology helps make these examined conclusions which leads to our understanding of how people feel think and act as they do What About Intuition Common Sense Many people believe that intuition and common sense are enough to bring forth answers regarding human nature Intuition and common sense may aid queries but they are not free of error Limits of Intuition Personal interviewers may rely too much on their gut feelings when meeting with job applicants Taxi Getty Images Hindsight Bias Hindsight Bias is the I knew it all along phenomenon After learning the outcome of an event many people believe they could have predicted that very outcome We only knew the dot com stocks would plummet after they actually did plummet Overconfidence Sometimes we think we know more than we actually know How long do you think it would take to unscramble these anagrams People said it would take about 10 seconds yet on average they took about 3 minutes Goranson 1978 Anagram WREAT WATER ETYRN ENTRY GRABE BARGE The Scientific Attitude The scientific attitude is composed of curiosity passion for exploration skepticism doubting and questioning and humility ability to accept responsibility when wrong The Scientific Attitude Critical Thinking thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions examines assumptions discerns hidden values evaluates evidence assesses conclusions The Amazing Randi Skeptic Science or Pseudo science How Do Psychologists Ask Answer Questions Psychologists like all scientists use the scientific method to construct theories that organize summarize and simplify observations The Scientific Method Theory an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations Hypothesis a testable prediction often implied by a theory Research Process The Scientific Method Operational Definition a statement of procedures operations used to define research variables example intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures The Scientific Method Replication repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances usually with different participants in different situations Description Psychologists describe behavior using case studies surveys and naturalistic observation Description Case Study observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principals Is language uniquely human Description Survey technique for ascertaining the selfreported attitudes or behaviors of people usually by questioning
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