Essentials of

Psychology

Chapter 1: Introduction to
Psychology

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Psychology

The scientific study of

behavior and mental
processes

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The Subfields of Psychology:

Psychologys Family Tree

Biopsychology
Specializes in the
biological bases of
behavior

Sensation, perception,
learning and thinking
Experimental psychology
Methodological study of
sensing, perceiving,
learning and thinking

Cognitive psychology
Emphasis on higher
mental processes
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The Subfields of Psychology

Understanding change
and individual
differences
Developmental
psychology
Changes in behavior
over the life span (womb
to tomb)

Personality psychology
Examines consistencies
in peoples behavior
over time and traits that
differentiate us from one
another
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The Subfields of Psychology

Physical and mental

health
Health psychology
Explores relationship
between psychological
factors and physical
ailments or disease

Clinical psychology
Investigates diagnosis
and treatment of
psychological disorders

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The Subfields of Psychology

Understanding our
social networks
Social psychology
Studies how people are
affected by others

Cross-cultural
psychology
Focuses on the
similarities and
differences in
psychological
functioning across
cultures and ethnic
groups
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The Subfields of Psychology

New frontiers
Clinical neuropsychology
Focuses on
relationships between
biological factors and
psychological disorders

Evolutionary psychology
Examines influence of
our genetic heritage and
our behavior

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Educating Psychologist

Doctoral Degrees
Ph.D. & Psy.D.

Masters Degree
Bachelors Degree

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Psychologys Roots

Early History

Focused on the basic building

blocks of perception,
consciousness, thinking, and
emotions
Introspection

Trephining
hollow tubes
Bumps on the head

Gestalt Psychology
the whole is different from
the sum of its parts

Structuralism

Functionalism
Moved from structure to what
the mind does and how
behavior functions

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Founding Mothers of Psychology

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Child development and
womens issues

Mary Calkins
First female in the APA

Karen Horney
Social and cultural aspects
to personality

June Etta Downey

Personality trait theorist

Anna Freud

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Todays Perspectives

Humanistic

Biological
Biological bases of
behavior

Behavioral
influences of inner
forces

Free will
Natural tendency to
be in control of our
lives

Cognitive
How people think,
understand, and know
about the world

Psychodynamic

Behavioral
Focus on
observable events

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Psychologys Key Issues

Nature versus nurture

How much of our behavior is
due to heredity and how much
is due to environment?

Conscious versus unconscious

How much of our behavior is
produced by forces of which we are
fully aware?

Observable behavior versus

internal mental processes
Should psychology only focus on
what it can see?
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Psychologys Key Issues

Free will versus

determinism
How much of behavior is
a result of free will?

Individual differences
versus universal
principles
How much of our
behavior is a
consequence of our
unique and special
qualities?

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Psychologys Future

Increase in
specialization
Focus on prevention
Greater influence on
issues of public interest
Increase in diversity

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The Scientific Method

The approach used by

psychologists to
systematically acquire
knowledge and
understanding about
behavior and other
phenomena of interest

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Scientific Method: The Process

Identify Questions of
Interest

Formulate an
Explanation:
Specify

a theory

Develop

a
hypothesis

Carry Out
Research:
Operationalize

hypothesis
Select

a research
method
Collect

data

Analyze

the data

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Scientific Method: Developing

Explanations

Theories
Broad explanations and
predictions concerning
phenomena of interest

Hypothesis
A prediction stated in a
way that allows it to be
tested

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Scientific Method: Conducting

Research
Research

Systematic inquiry
aimed at the discovery
of new knowledge

Operationalization
Process of translating a
hypothesis into specific, testable
procedures that can be measured
and observed

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Research Methods

Archival research
Use of existing data in
order to test a hypothesis

Naturalistic observation
Observation of naturally occurring
behavior without intervention

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Research Methods

Survey research
A sample of people are
asked a series of
questions about their
behavior, thoughts, and
attitudes in order to
represent a larger
population

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Research Methods

Case study
An in-depth, intensive
investigation of an
individual or small group of
people

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Research Methods

Variables
Behaviors, events, or
other characteristics that
can change, or vary in
some way

Correlational research
The relationship between
two sets of variables is
examined to determine
whether they are
associated, or correlated
Ranges from +1 to -1
Correlation does not
mean causation

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Research Methods

Experiment
The relationship between
two (or more) variables is
investigated by
deliberately producing a
change in one variable in
a situation and observing
the effects of that change
on other aspects of the
situation

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Experimental Research

Experimental manipulation
The change that an
experimenter deliberately
produces in a situation
Treatment
The manipulation
implemented by the
experimenter

Experimental group
Any group receiving a
treatment
Control group
A group that receives no
treatment

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Experimental Research

Independent variable
The variable that is
manipulated by the
experimenter

Dependent variable
The variable that is
measured and is expected
to change as a result of
changes caused by the the
experimenters manipulation
of the independent variable

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Experimental Research: Final Step

Random assignment to
condition
Participants are assigned
to different experimental
groups or conditions on
the basis of chance and
chance alone
Significant outcome
Use of statistical
procedures in order to
determine whether or not
differences between
groups are large enough to
be significant

Replication
Repetition of findings
using other procedures in
other settings

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Research Challenges: Ethics

Protection of participants from

physical and mental harm
The right of participants to
privacy regarding their behavior
The assurance that participation
in research is completely
voluntary
The necessity of informing
participants about the nature of
procedures prior to participation
in the experiment
Informed consent
Deception and debriefing

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Research Challenges

Choosing participants who

represent the scope of
human behavior
Should animals be used in
research?

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Threats to Experiments

Experimental bias
Factors that distort how the
independent variable
affects the dependent
variable in an experiment
Experimenter
expectations
Participant expectations

Placebo
A false treatment, such
as a pill, drug, or other
substance without any
significant chemical
properties or active
ingredient

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Becoming An Informed Consumer of

Psychology

What was the purpose of the

research?
How well was the study
conducted?
Are the results presented
fairly?

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