21 January 2013Chapter OneWhat is Psychology?the science that studies behavior, the physiological/cognitive processes that underlie it, and it is the profession that applies the accumulated knowledge of this science to practical problems Philosophical RootsDo we have free will? Is Behavior controlled by rewards/punishmentsBehavior determined by external events? What is memory? What is the purpose, how do we collectHow do we think? Mind/Body Problemare they separate and distinct? or one thing?is the mind the physical brain’s experienceMonism: mind and body are one, the mind is not a separate spiritual identity, all human experiences are physical, emanating from the brainDualism: assumption that the body and mind are separate, perhaps interacting Descartes believed this The Birth of PsychologyJohn Stuart Mill (philosopher): psychology should be separate from philosophy and should become a science of observation/experimentation, can only understand the mind and its processes through methods of science● Willhelm Wundt○ founded the first lab dedicated to the scientific study of the mind (Germany), usedintrospection- training people to be able to report what they believed were their mental processes, he gave them a stimulus and the testee would try to explain how they perceived/thought about● G Stanley Hall○ established America’s first research lab● William James○ published Principles of Psychology- he didn’t have much technology, but had correct theories that can now be confirmed● Sigmund Freud○ formulated psychoanalysis○ focused on unconscious processes - the unconscious drives the conscious:behavior/personality○ theory published in The Interpretation of Dreams Structuralism vs FunctionalismStructuralism (Wundt, Titchener)● to analyze consciousness in its basic elements and investigate how theseare related (tried to think of elements like periodic table, eg. sensations, feelings etc)● components are sensations, feelings, imagesFunctionalism (James)● investigate the function and purpose of consciousness rather than structure, flow of consciousnessUnconscious (Freud)● the psychical reality contains thoughts, memories and desires that are below consciousness that exert a lot of influence on behaviorContemporary Theoretical Perspectives (presently)● Behavioral: only observable events can be studied scientifically, stimulus & response● Psychoanalytic: unconscious motives and experiences in early childhood govern personality and mental disorders● Humanistic: humans are free, rational beings with potential for personal growth-make them different from animals, want to maximize potential, not just driven by unconscious● Cognitive: human behavior cannot be fully understood without examining how people acquire, store, process info● Biological: an organism's functioning can be explained in terms of the bodily structures and biochemical processes that underlie behavior, what happens in certain parts of the brain to cause certain behaviors● Evolutionary: behavior patterns have evolved to solve adaptive problems, natural selection favours behaviors that enhance reproductive success and survival Unifying Themes in PsychologyPsychology as a field of study● is empirical - adopts the scientific method● is theoretically diverse - there are different ways of looking at something, there are competing views● evolves in a sociohistorical context - what is going on in the world impacts psychology, have to understand the culture of whatever time being studied to correctly study psychology, eg. Holocaust, 9/11Themes related to psychology’s subject matter● behavior is determined by multiple causes- multifactorial causation of behavior, impacted by social forces, personality, etc● behavior is shaped by cultural heritage - shared customs, beliefs, values/norms● heredity and environment jointly influence behavior - nature vs nurture● subjective experience - selectively focusing on some aspect of stimulation while ignoring othersThe Scientific Method A way of learning about the world through collecting observation, proposing explanationsfor the observations, developing theories to explain them and using those theories to make predictions. collecting observations - doing experiments, not speculationproposing explanations - making a hypothesis and thest itlook at flowchart from text book start with a theory -> make it testable (hypothesis) -> test hypothesis -> reject/confirm->1. confirm: start new hypothesis, confirm theory2. reject: rethink, change hypothesis, revise theoryresearch never proves anything-- either supports/rejects Theorya model of interconnected ideas or concepts that explains what is observed and makes predictions about future eventsHypothesis a specific testable prediction, often derived from a theory23 January 2013Chapter 2: Research in PsychologyGrowth of PsychologyAmount of articles published: 1930s about 500 articles, in 2000 about 6500 articlesResearch Methods● Archival Studies○ examining existing records of the past, not new research○ eg. crime rates in certain cities● Surveys○ questions about beliefs, attitudes, behaviors○ use random sampling with as many people as possible● Case Studies○ in depth investigation of an individual subject○ don’t necessary need a large group of people ● Correlational Studies○ Correlation - statistical measure of the extent to which two variables are associated○ eg. SAT scores and GPA (0.5 correlation), GPA and height (0 correlation), cocaine use and hours of sleep(0.5 correlation)○ correlation is NOT causation, one variable does not cause the other variable○ relation is described with numbers between -1 and +1. a perfect relation is +1■ +1, perfect, linear, positive slope■ -1, perfect negative slope■ 0, no correlation, points scattered about on graph● Descriptive Studies○ descriptors: classifying certain groups eg. 2 year olds, college students etc○ doing research on certain target groups to gain more knowledge○ How many words can the average two year olds speak?● Naturalistic Observations○ observation of behavior as it occurs naturally in the real world with no intervention● Experiments○ a study that tests causal hypotheses by measuring and manipulating variables■ Variables● Independent variable - variable that the researcher manipulates inan experiment○ proposed cause of change in the dependent variable○ caffeine●