Welcome to Psychology 242 Research Methods in Psychological Science LECT M W 00E1 LC web page:

Why is Psychology One of the Most Popular Majors? Of all the disciplines that exist, psychology is one of the few that is explicitly concerned with understanding the way people behave, feel, and think

Why is Psychology One of the Most Popular Majors? Many of the themes that have characterized intellectual inquiry over the years are studied by psychologists –free will and determinism –mind and matter –nature and nurture –love and loss –relationships and emotion –personality (growth and disorder)

What Makes Psychology Different? So, what is special about psychology, as opposed to the study of philosophy, literature, or history? The critical difference is that modern psychology is based on the scientific method

Psychology Philosophy & Humanities Natural Science the themes of psychology the methods of psychology Psychology, like the humanities, is concerned with fundamental issues concerning human experience. However, psychologists use the methods of the natural sciences to better understand psychological phenomena.

Why Does this Matter? Why do we need the scientific method in order to study the human mind? The methods we tend to use are subject to severe limitations.

Class Objectives The objectives of this course are –To illustrate some of the limitations of non-scientific approaches to understanding psychology –To teach you how to use the scientific method as it applies to psychology –To foster your ability to think critically about psychological research (as well as other information)

Overview of Syllabus Important changes from printed version –Website change: –Grading: Exams are now worth 60% of final grade; class exercise, discussion section activities and attendance are worth 40% –I will post the lecture overheads online after each lecture. Future updates and changes will be reflected in the online version of the syllabus