Chapter 1

The Science of Psychology

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 Chapter Preview

• Defining psychology and exploring its roots

• Contemporary approaches to psychology
• Psychology’s scientific method
• Types of psychological research

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 Chapter Preview
• Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes
and human behavior and the relationship between
them.
• Behavior: Every thing we do that can directly
observed.
• Mental Processes: The thoughts, feelings and
motives that each of us experiences privately but
that cannot be observed directly.
• Scientific – Using systematic method to observe
human behavior to draw conclusion.
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Figure 1.1 - Settings in Which
Psychologists Work

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 Fields of Psychology

• Clinical Psychology – this field is devoted to Study ,diagnosis

and treatment of abnormal behavior

• Health Psychology – studies interaction between the mind

and physical health of the body

• Educational Psychology – conducts research to improve and

develop methods of teaching and learning

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 Fields of Psychology

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology – psychologists in this

field try to improve the efficiency, productivity, as well as the
satisfaction of workers and the organizations that employ
them
• Counseling Psychology – counseling psychologist assists
individuals in learning to deal with their personal problems
that do not necessarily involve mental disorders
• Forensic Psychology – finds its applications in the field of law
• Sports Psychology – study of the factors related to maximum
athletic performance.

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 Historical Perspective
• Western philosophy
• Biology and physiology
• Wilhelm Wundt and structuralism
• William James and functionalism
• Charles Darwin and natural selection

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 Structuralism
• Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
• German philosopher-physician
• First psychology laboratory (1879)
• Identify elements, or structures, of mental
processes
• Introspection

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 Functionalism
• William James (1842-1910)
• American psychologist and philosopher
• Identify purposes, or functions, of the mind
• Why is human thought adaptive?
• Natural flow of thought, or stream of
consciousness

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 Contemporary Approaches
• Biological
• Behavioral
• Psychodynamic
• Humanistic
• Cognitive
• Evolutionary
• Sociocultural

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 Biological Approach
• Focus on brain and nervous system
• Neuroscience
• Structure, function, development, genetics,
biochemistry of nervous system
• Brain and nervous system are central to
understanding behavior, thought, and emotion

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 Behavioral Approach
• Emphasis on observable behavioral responses
and their environmental determinants
• Notable behaviorists
• John B. Watson (1878-1958)
• B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

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 Psychodynamic Approach
• Emphasis on:
• Unconscious impulses
• Conflict between biological drives and society
• Childhood family experiences
• Founding father:
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

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 Humanistic Approach
• Emphasis on:
• Positive human qualities
• Capacity for positive growth
• Freedom to choose any destiny
• Notable humanistic psychologists
• Carl Rogers (1961)
• Abraham Maslow (1971)

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 Cognitive Approach
• Emphasis on mental processes involved in
knowing
• How we:
• Direct attention
• Perceive, remember, think
• Solve problems

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 Sociocultural Approach
• Examination of ways in which social and
cultural environments influence behavior
• Focus on comparisons of behavior across:
• Countries
• Ethnic and cultural groups within countries

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Checking for Understanding
Directions: Choose one (1) of the topics
Contemporary listed below.
Approaches Then use that topic to show
to Psychology
your understanding of each approach. Checking For each box, write how that type of
for Understanding
Directions: Choose one (1) of the topics listed below. Then use that topic to show your understanding of each approach. For
psychologist would explain the causes of this behavior
each box, write how that type of psychologist would explain the causes of this behavior.

Circle topic: Tripping another classmate- looking at yourself in the mirror- Checking your phone multiple times in class

Psychoanalytical Psychology Behavioral Psychology Humanistic Psychology

Cognitive Psychology Biological Psychology Socio-Cultural Psychology

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Figure 1.3 - Steps in the Scientific
Method

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 Scientific Method: Observation
• 1.Observing the phenomenon: The first step
of conducting a scientific enquiry.
• The phenomenon that scientist study are
called variables; a variable is any thing that
can change.
• Theories: Broad explanation and predictions
concerning phenomenon of interest.

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 Scientific Method: Hypothesis
• Formulate a hypothesis
• Educated guess derived from theory
• Prediction that can be tested
• Can lend credibility to theory

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 Scientific Method: Research
• Collect and analyze data
• Meta analysis: A method that allows the
researcher to combine the different studies of
the similar topic in order to establish it’s
strength.

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 Scientific Method: Conclusions
• Draw conclusions
• Is theory supported?
• Should theory be changed?
• Evaluate conclusions
• Publication and review
• Ongoing research process

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 Types of Psychological Research
• Descriptive research
• Finding out about some variable
• Correlational research
• Discovering relationships between variables
• Experimental research
• Establishing causal relationships

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 Descriptive Research
• Describing some phenomemon, without
answering questions of how and why
• Observation
• Surveys and interviews
• Case studies

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 Correlational Research
• Research in which the relationship between
two or more sets of variables is examined to
determine if they are associated or
“correlated”.
• Correlation Coefficient: -1.00 ≤ r ≤ 1.00
• Strength: Number
• Direction: Sign

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Figure 1.4 - Scatter Plots Showing
Positive and Negative Correlations

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 Experimental Research
• Experiments: An investigation of cause-effect relationships
done by controlling or carefully manipulating particular
variables to note their effects on other variables.
• Experimental manipulation: The change that an experimenter
deliberately produces in a situation.
• Treatment: The manipulation implemented by the
experimenter.
• Experimental Group: The group that receives the
experimental treatment.
• Control Group: The group that does not receive the
experimental treatment.

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 Experiments and Causation
• Independent variable: An attribute that is manipulated by the
experimenter, while other attributes are held constant.
• Dependent variable: The outcome, the factor that can change
in an experiment in response to changes in the independent
variable.
• Research Samples and settings

• Population: The entire group about which the investigator

wants to draw conclusion.
• Sample: The subset of the population chosen by the
investigator for study.

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Figure 1.5 - Psychology’s Research Methods
Applied to Studying Social Media Use

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