Myers’ EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY (4th Ed) Chapter 1 Introduction: Thinking Critically with Psychology James A. McCubbin, PhD Clemson University Worth Publishers

What is Psychology? zPsychology ythe science of behavior and mental processes zNature-Nurture Issue ythe long-standing controversy over the relative contribution of genes and experience to the development of psychological traits and behaviors

What is Psychology? zBasic Research ypure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base zApplied Research yscientific study that aims to solve practical problems

What is Psychology? zClinical Psychology ya branch of psychology that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders zPsychiatry ya branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders ypracticed by physicians who provide medical (drug) treatment as well as psychological therapy

Why do Psychology? zCritical Thinking ythinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions xexamines assumptions xdiscerns hidden values xevaluates evidence

Why do Psychology? zHindsight Bias ytendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it ythe “I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon zOverconfidence ywe tend to think we know more than we do

The Scientific Method zTheory yan explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations zHypothesis ya testable prediction yoften implied by a theory

The Scientific Method generate or refine research and observations lead to hypothesis

Research Strategies zReplication yrepeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other subjects and circumstances yusually with different subjects in different situations zCase Study yan observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles

Research Strategies zSurvey ytechnique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of people yusually by questioning a representative, random sample of them zFalse Consensus Effect ytendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

Research Strategies zPopulation yall the cases in a group, from which samples may be drawn zRandom Sample ya sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

Research Strategies zNaturalistic Observation yobserving and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

Research Strategies zCorrelation ya statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two factors vary together and thus how well either factor predicts the other zIllusory Correlation ythe perception of a relationship where none exists

Illusory Correlation zDo you believe that previously infertile couples become more likely to conceive a child after adopting a baby? ConceiveDo not conceive Adopt Do not adopt disconfirming evidence confirming evidence disconfirming evidence confirming evidence

Random Sequences zYour chances of being dealt either of these hands is precisely the same: 1 in 2,598,960.

Correlation and Causation zThree possible cause-effect relations Low Self-esteem Depression Low Self-esteem Low Self-esteem Depression Distressing events or biological predisposition

Research Strategies zExperiment ya research method in which the investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe their effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable) while controlling other relevant factors by random assignment of subjects

Research Strategies zExperimental Condition ythe condition of an experiment that exposes subjects to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable zControl Condition ythe condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental treatment yserves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

Perceptions of Violence zPerception of illegal play when players seen to wear black Color Visible Color Not Visible Black Jerseys White Jerseys

Research Strategies zRandom Assignment yassigning subjects to experimental and control conditions by chance yminimizes pre-existing differences between those assigned to the different groups

Research Strategies zIndependent Variable ythe experimental factor that is manipulated ythe variable whose effect is being studied zDependent Variable ythe experimental factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable yin psychology it is usually a behavior or mental process

Research Strategies The Design of the Second Frank and Gilovich Experiment Condition Manipulation of Independent Variable Measurement Of Dependent Variable Manipulation of Independent Variable Control Experimental Not wear black jerseys(wear white) Wear black jerseysAggressiveness (game choice) Aggressiveness (game choice)

Research Strategies zOperational Definition ya statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables zPlacebo yan inert substance or condition that may be administered instead of a presumed active agent, such as a drug, to see if it triggers the effects believed to characterize the active agent

Research Strategies zDesign of the subliminal tapes experiment Subliminal tape content Self-esteemMemory Self-esteem Tape label

Research Strategies zDouble-blind Procedure yan experimental procedure in which both the subject and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the subject has received the treatment or a placebo ycommonly used in drug-evaluation studies zCulture yenduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people ytransmitted from one generation to the next

Duck or Rabbit? zOur preconceptions can bias our observations and interpretations

Studying Psychology zSQ3R ya study method incorporating five steps: xSurvey xQuestion xRead xRehearse xReview