Psychology – The Science AP Psychology Ms. Desgrosellier

Objectives: SWBAT explain how the scientific attitude encourages critical thinking. SWBAT describe how psychological theories guide scientific research SWBAT explain the value of simplified laboratory conditions in discovering general principles of behavior

The Scientific Attitude Three parts: Curiosity: a hard-headed passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled –Does it work? Can predictions be confirmed when put to the test? –Sometimes, science supports crazy-sounding ideas, but more often, it refutes them.

The Scientific Attitude Skepticism –Two questions: What do you mean? How do you know? –Show me the evidence.

The Scientific Attitude Humility –As researchers, we may have to reject our own ideas –Our opinions don’t matter - the truth does.

The Scientific Attitude These three attitudes helped make modern science possible Scientists today still check and recheck each other’s findings and conclusions

Critical Thinking Examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assess conclusions.

The Scientific Method Make observations, form theories, and then refine their theories in the light of new observations. Scientific theory: an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations. A good theory organizes the large amount of observations and information into a short list of principles It must produce testable predictions

Hypothesis a testable prediction, often implied by a theory enable us to test and reject or revise the theory, and give direction to research.

Astrology Experiment What do you know about astrology? Do you know much about your zodiac sign? Generate some hypotheses based on the assumptions you think astrologers make about human behavior. It should be testable! E.g. hypothesis: personality types are associated with particular zodiac signs.

The Zodiac E: Aries (March 21 – April 19) B: Taurus (April 20 – May 20) C: Gemini (May 21 – June 21) A: Cancer (June 22 – July 22) F: Leo (July 23 – August 22) D: Virgo (August 23 – September 22) K: Libra (September 23 – October 22 H: Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) I: Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) L: Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) J: Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) G: Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Astrology Experiment Zodiac sign is our independent variable; choice of profile is the dependent variable If hypothesis is correct, the number of correct matches should exceed the number of incorrect matches (ideally, there should be NO incorrect matches) On chance alone, 16.6% should be correct (1 in 6 chance of guessing your sign; ~4)

Operational definitions A statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables. For example, human intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures. Allow for replication: repeating the essence of a research study, usually with different participants in different situations, to see whether the basic finding extends to other participants and circumstances. If repeat studies get similar results, our confidence in our findings increases.

Operational Definitions With your table, try to come up with an operational definition for some human emotion. What behavior could you observe that would indicate your emotion? Share with the class, who will guess the emotion you are describing. If they can guess it, it is probably a good definition.

Bottom Line on Theories They are useful if: –they effectively organize a range of self- reports and observations –imply clear predictions that anyone can use to check the theory or to derive practical applications.

Laboratories Does people’s behavior in laboratory experiment settings accurately reflect real life? Laboratories act as simplified reality - one that simulates and controls important features of everyday life to allow focused study of one or two specific behaviors. Allow researchers to rule out effects from other factors Studies have shown that people will act similarly in and outside a lab.

Laboratories The goal is to test theories: it is the resulting principles - not the specific findings - that help explain everyday behaviors. As psychologists, our concerns lie less with particular behaviors than with the general principles that help explain many behaviors.

Objective SWBAT discuss whether psychological research can be generalized across cultures and genders.

Culture The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. Culture matters! It influences EVERYTHING. Because of globalization, we need to be culturally aware.

Culture Differences: social expectations, body language, values, etc. Still, we are all biologically human and there are obvious (and not-so-obvious) similarities –e.g. people diagnosed with dyslexia exhibit the same brain malfunction whether they are Italian, French, or British –We all have basic human needs: food, sleep, etc.

Culture Bottom line: even when specific attitudes and behaviors vary across cultures, the underlying processes are much the same.

Gender Gender is important to our identity, starting from birth Researchers study differences –e.g. how we carry on conversations However, men and women are overwhelmingly similar Bottom line: gender matters, but both genders are similarly human.