1. General Psychology

2. Scripture Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit – Those who recognize that they are truly sinners saved by grace. A humility which will lead to true confidence by recognizing the need for the savior.

3. The Need for Psychological Science Psychologists, like all scientists, use the scientific method to construct theories that organize observations and imply testable hypotheses* Monty Hall – First President http://www.stat.sc.edu/~west/javahtml/LetsMakeaDeal.html

4. The Need for Psychological Science  Hindsight Bias *  we tend to believe, after learning an outcome, that we would have foreseen it  the “I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon

5. Overconfidence Sometimes we think we know more than we actually know. Anagram BARGEGRABE ENTRYETYRN WATERWREAT How long do you think it would take to unscramble these anagrams? People said it would take about 10 seconds, yet on average they took about 3 minutes (Goranson, 1978).

6. The Need for Psychological Science  Critical Thinking  thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions  examines assumptions  discerns hidden values  evaluates evidence

7. The Need for Psychological Science  Theory  an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations  Hypothesis  a testable prediction  often implied by a theory

8. Research Process

9. The Need for Psychological Science  Operational Definition  a statement of procedures (operations) used to define research variables  Example-  intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures  I love tacos…

10. The Need for Psychological Science  Replication  repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other participants and circumstances  usually with different participants in different situations

11. Experimentation  Experiment  an investigator manipulates one or more factors (independent variables) to observe their effect on some behavior or mental process (the dependent variable)  by random assignment of participants the experiment controls other relevant factors

12. Experimentation  Placebo  an 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  Double-blind Procedure*  both the research participants and the research staff are ignorant (blind) about whether the research participants have received the treatment or a placebo  commonly used in drug-evaluation studies

13. Experimentation  Experimental Condition  the condition of an experiment that exposes participants to the treatment, that is, to one version of the independent variable  Control Condition  the condition of an experiment that contrasts with the experimental treatment  serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment

14. Experimentation  Random Assignment  assigning participants to experimental and control conditions by chance  minimizes pre-existing differences between those assigned to the different groups

15. Experimentation  Independent Variable  the experimental factor that is manipulated  the variable whose effect is being studied  Dependent Variable  the experimental factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable  in psychology it is usually a behavior or mental process

16. Experimentation

17. or Correlation and Causation Correlation does not mean causation!

18. Validity The ability of a scale to measure what was intended to be measured

19. Reliability consistent The degree to which measures are free from random error and therefore yield consistent results

20. Rifle Rifle Rifle Low ReliabilityHigh ReliabilityReliable but Not Valid Valid Not Valid (Target A) (Target B) (Target C) Reliability and Validity on Target

21. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?

22. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior depend on ones culture?  Culture--the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

23. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Does behavior vary with gender?

24. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Why do psychologists study animals? Is it ethical to experiment on animals? Is it ethical to experiment on people?

25. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Is psychology free of value judgments?

26. Frequently Asked Questions about Psychology Is psychology potentially dangerous?