U NIT O NE What is Psychology? Ch. 1

P SYCHOLOGY Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes Behavior- any action that other people can observe and/or measure Cognition- mental processes that are unseen Memory, dreams, perception, thoughts

P SYCHOLOGY Goals Observe/Describe- taking measurements and recording Explain- determine the how and whys of behavior Predict- make judgments on future behavior by using data of past events Control/change- use behaviors of individuals to help accomplish goals

P SYCHOLOGY IS a SOCIAL SCIENCE Deal with structure of human society and the nature and interactions of the individuals that make up society…(and animals) Psychology specifically focuses on behaviors and mental processes of individuals in a society. We use basic science (research for knowledge sake) and applied science (use of basic science)

P ART 2 What do Psychologists DO?

P SYCHOLOGISTS Three types of Psychologists Psychiatrists Observe, identify and treat psych issues with medicine and therapy Clinical Psychologists Observe, identify and overcome psychological issues Counseling Psychologists Identify and help clarify everyday issues

T YPES OF P SYCHOLOGISTS School- identify issues that interfere with learning Educational- concerned with theoretical issues in learning Developmental- study changes throughout the life span Personality- identify characteristics of people Social- focus on individuals in groups Experimental- conduct research into basic human processes I/O- focus on increasing productivity in the workplace Environmental- focus on relationship b/w individuals and their environments Consumer- focus on how people shop Forensic- focus on criminal behavior Health- focus on how mental states affect physical health

P ART 3 A History of Psychology

R OOTS OF P SYCHOLOGY Philosophy of Ancient Greeks were the building blocks of modern Psychology Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Hippocrates Birth of Modern Science People began to theorize about life on earth using empirical research. Birth of Psychology as a science Wilhelm Wundt 1879 Leipzig, Germany Established the first psych experiment Experimented with human sensation and awareness And so, Psychology birthed many schools of thought to explain behavior

P SYCHOLOGICAL P ERSPECTIVES Structualism (Wundt and Tichner) Focused on basic elements of consciousness Functionalism (James) Consciousness is a continuous stream and served the purpose of adaptability Gestalt (Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler) Learning is active and purposeful, perceptions are more than the sums of their parts

P ERSPECTIVES Behaviorism/Learning (Pavlov, Skinner, Watson) We learn behavior via observable responses Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic (Freud, Jung) Motivated by unconscious conflicts Cognitive (Piaget, Vygotsky) How we think shapes what we do Humanistic (Maslow, Rogers) Motivated by need to belong and personal growth Socio-Cultural Our environment shapes who we are Biological Our mind and body determine behaviors

U NIT O NE Psychological Methods Ch.2

C ONDUCTING R ESEARCH Quick Review for YOU! What are the goals of Psychology? Observe, Explain, Predict and Change We use __________science when conducting research We use ___________science when we use the research already conducted.

C ONDUCTING R ESEARCH The scientific method…yup, you know this. Question What are you interested in finding out? Hypothesis What do you think you will find out? Research Which method of research is best? What are the operational definitions? Analyzing Organizing all the data Conclusions What does all your data say? Replicate

R ESEARCH M ETHODS Descriptive Research Case Study Longitudinal Cross-Sectional Observations Naturalistic/Laboratory Surveys Population Sample

R ESEARCH E XAMPLE : S URVEY Q- Are Hough Students Happy? H- yes, due to their personal and educational environments. R- Survey Operational Definitions- Population- Hough High Students Sample- 200 students Randomization- ask 9,10,11 and 12 th grade English teachers to pass out surveys in class

I NTERPRETING D ESCRIPTIVE R ESEARCH Correlation Measure of relatedness Predicts Behavior Correlation Coefficient Determines strength and direction of relationship A Number ranging from -1 to +1 1 indicating a strong relationship 0 indicating no relationship Positive- Variables move together Negative- Variables move opposite

R ESEARCH M ETHODS Experiment Proves Cause and Effect Components of an Experiment Independent Variable Dependent Variable Placebo Groups Experimental Group Control Group Decreasing Bias Random Assignment Single-Blind Study Double-Blind Study

R ESEARCH M ETHODS Analyzing Results Organization Frequency Distribution Charts Measures of Central Tendency Mean, Median and Mode Interpretation Graphs Measures of Variability Range and Standard Deviation

P RACTICE Is there a relationship between the number of hours a person spends studying and his/her test grade? Hours StudyingTest Grade

P RACTICE With the following information, please answer the following: Create a Frequency Distribution Chart to organize data Create a scatter plot to determine the correlation between hours studying and test grade. Label each axis accordingly. What type of correlation is shown? _________________ Would you say it was a strong correlation? Determine the mean, median and mode of the test scores. Which is the best measure of central tendency and why? Determine the mean, median and mode of the hours spent studying. Which is the best measure of central tendency and why? What is the range of scores on the test?

P RACTICE