Psychology Day 1 Notes Psychology and Scientific Thinking Psychology is about behavior and the mind Some use the scientific method and some use a more philosophical approach and some use both This class is primarily about scientific psychology What does Psychology Study o Learning o Cognition o Sensations and perceptions o Mental illness o Social influences on behavior o Personality o The link between biology and behavior Levels of Analysis o Behavior and thought have different influences at different levels o It is a feedback loop Why can Psychology be scientific o They use the scientific method o You can never prove a theory you can only disprove it or make it more accurate over time o A theory is more than an educated guess it requires a lot of evidence But it s less than a 1 accurate description of reality o The theory of what knowledge is and the best way to obtain it o Science cannot be addressed because they involve things that cant be Epistemology Science and Epistemology indirectly observed Pseudoscience o These are claims and findings that use sciencey language in order to trick people into believing that the claims were well researched ex Ghost hunters Mental illness has always been around and therefore we have been trying to find treatments for mental illnesses Intellectuals have always been interested in studying the human mind Types of Psychologists o Clinical Psychologist Diagnose and treat mental illness Usually have a PhD Usually cannot prescribe medicine NOT a psychiatrist o Experimental Psychologist Usually do not interact with patients Conduct studies on humans and animals Usually work in universities for the government or for companies Usually have PhDs o Industrial Organizational Psychologist Work for companies organizations to improve employee performance Often administer tests and implement programs Can have PhD o School Psychologists Work with parents and teachers to help students with learning disabilities and behavioral problems
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