1. Introduction to Psychology
Dr. William G. Huitt
Valdosta State University
Last revised: May 2005

2. Why Study Psychology Need a social science course
Learn more about yourself
Learn more about others
Learn more about how others influence you
Learn more about how you influence others
Investigate psychology as a major 2 2

3. Ways to Validate Truth or Reality
Personal experience
Intuition
Social and/or cultural consensus
Religious scripture and interpretation
Philosophy and logical reasoning
Science and the scientific method 2 2

4. Scientific Method
The orderly, systematic process researchers follow as they
identify a research issue, question or problem ,
design a study to investigate the issue,
collect and analyze data,
draw conclusions, and
communicate their findings
The database that is developed using the scientific method 2 2

5. Purpose for Using Scientific Method
Understanding
Database
Facts & Concepts
Description
Principles
Prediction
Theories
Explanation
Laws
Influence or Control 2 2

6. Critieria for Using Scientific Method
Knowledge must be grounded in experience
Knowledge must be grounded in a paradigm or exemplar
Any hypothesis must be potentially falsifiable 2 2

7. Psychology Definition Related areas of study
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes (or mind and behavior) especially as it relates to individual human beings
Related areas of study
Philosophy
Other sciences
Biology
Sociology
Anthropology
History
Literature and the arts
Religion 2 2

8. Science or common sense?

9. Psychology Goals of Psychology Description Prediction
First step in understanding most behaviors or mental processes
Describes the behavior or mental process of interest as accurately and completely as possible
Tells what occurred
Prediction
When researchers can specify the conditions under which a behavior or event is likely to occur 2 2

10. Psychology Goals of Psychology (continued) Explanation
Requires an understanding of the conditions under which a given behavior or mental process occurs
Enables researchers to state the causes of the behavior or mental process they are studying
Tells why a given event or behavior occurred
Influence or Control
When researchers know how to apply a principle or change a condition to prevent unwanted occurrences or to bring about desired outcomes 2 2

11. Psychology
Two types of research that help psychologists accomplish these goals
Basic research
Research conducted to advance knowledge rather than for its practical application
Example: studying the nature of memory
Applied research
Research conducted to solve practical problems
Example: exploring methods to improve memory 2 2

12. Psychology Critical thinking
The process of objectively evaluating claims, propositions, or conclusions to determine whether they follow logically from the evidence presented
Critical thinking is the disciplined mental activity of evaluating arguments or propositions and making judgments that can guide the development of beliefs and taking action.  
The foundation of the scientific method 2 2

13. Psychology Creative thinking
Producing new ideas or thoughts. Imaginative thinking that is aimed at producing outcomes that involve synthesis of ideas or lateral thinking; thinking that is more synthetical than analytical, sometimes referred to as divergent thinking. 2 2

14. Descriptive Research Methods
Research methods that yield descriptions of behavior rather than causal explanations
Naturalistic observation
Laboratory observation
Case studies
Surveys
Interviews
Questionnaires 2 2

15. Research Methods Understanding Type of Study Descriptive Description
Correlational
Prediction
Theoretical
Explanation
Experimental
Influence or Control 2 2

16. Population vs Sample Population Sample
The entire group that is of interest to researchers and to which they wish to generalize their findings; the group from which a sample is selected
Sample
The portion of any population that is selected for study and from which generalizations are made about the larger population 2 2

17. Selecting A Sample Representative sample
A sample of participants selected from the larger population in such a way that important subgroups within the population are included in the sample in the same proportions as they are found in the larger population
Biased sample
A sample that does not adequately reflect the larger population
Random sample
A sample selected where everyone in the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample 2 2

18. Descriptive Research Methods
Naturalistic observation
Laboratory observation
Case study
Survey
Interviews
Questionnaires 2 2

19. Correlational Method Correlational method
A research method used to establish the degree of relationship (correlation) between two characteristics, events, or behaviors
For use when it is impossible to manipulate variables of interest 2 2

20. Correlational Method Correlational coefficient
A numerical value that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables
Coefficients range from (a perfect positive correlation) to –1.00 (a perfect negative correlation)
The further the correlation coefficient is from zero, the stronger the coefficient
The sign determines the direction of the relationship
(+) Positive – as one variable increases, the other must also increase
(-) Negative – as one variable increases, the other must decrease 2 2

21. Experimental Method Experimental method
The research method in which researchers:
randomly assign participants to a control group or an experimental group
control all conditions other than one or more independent variables, which are then manipulated
determine their effect on some behavioral measure, the dependent variable in the experiment
Variable
Any condition or factor that can be manipulated, controlled, or measured 2 2

22. Experimental Method Independent variable Dependent variable
In an experiment, the factor or condition that the researcher manipulates in order to determine its effect on another behavior or condition known as the dependent variable
Sometimes referred to as the treatment
Dependent variable
The variable that is measured at the end of an experiment and is presumed to vary as a result of manipulations of the independent variable 2 2

23. Experimental Method Experimental group Control group Hypothesis
In an experiment, the group that is exposed to the independent variable, or the treatment
Control group
In an experiment, a group that is similar to the experimental group and is exposed to the same experimental environment but is not exposed to the independent variable; used for purposes of comparison
Hypothesis
A prediction about the relationship between two or more variables 2 2

24. Potential Problems Confounding variables The placebo effect
Any factors or conditions other than the independent variable that could cause observed changes in the dependent variable
The placebo effect
Selection bias
Experimenter bias
Double-blind technique 2 2

25. Limitations of the experimental method
The more control a researcher exercises over the setting, the more unnatural and contrived the research setting becomes
Unethical or not possible in many areas of interest
For instance, researchers could not addict humans to tobacco to establish that smoking tobacco causes cancer
Scientists could not testify that smoking tobacco causes cancer – only that smoking tobacco is highly correlated with cancer 2 2