1. History, Approaches, Methods (Ch 1 & 2)

1.1 History of psychology

  • What is Psychology?
    • Pysche: mind, spirit, soul
    • Ology: study of
    • Psychology is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes
  • Structuralism
    • Wilhelm Wundt
      • First Psychology Lab in Leipzig, Germany in 1879
    • Ideas of Structuralism
      • Consciousness was made up of basic elements that were combined in different ways to produce perceptions
      • Discover the basic elements of mental experiences
    • Introspection
      • Looking inwards to understand what is involved
  • Functionalism
    • Lead by William James
    • Less interested in what made up mental experiences
    • More interested in the processes or the functions of the human condition
    • Consciousness helped people and animals to adjust to their environments

1.2. Psychological Approaches

  • Biological approach
    • Physiological and biochemical explanation of behavior
    • Genes, neurotransmitters, neurochemicals
  • Behavioral approach
    • Ideas
      • Learned responses to predictable patterns of external stimuli
      • People's behaviour is based on the environment
    • Classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov) Ivan Pavlov classical conditioning reflex
    • Operant conditioning (BF Skinner)
      • How rewards and punishments affect behaviors Operant Conditioning
  • Psychodynamic approach (Sigmund Freud)
    • Ideas
      • Unmet needs/unresolved conflicts from childhood determine personality
      • Behavior as a result of unconscious, attachment and interpersonal connection
    • Parts of psyche
      • Id: I want it, and I want it now
      • Ego:Moderator between id and superego. Reality Principle
      • Superego: Moral
    • Defense mechanisms
    • Sexual and aggressive urges drive behavior, thoughts and feelings
  • Cognitive approach
    • In reaction to behaviorism (focused on observable events)
    • Behavior as a result of “expectations”, “feelings” and “thoughts”
    • Study problem solving, attention, memory and other thought processes
  • Humanistic approach
    • Ideas
      • Developed in reaction to Behaviorist and Psychodynamic models
      • People are motivated by desire for growth and development
      • We have free will, and we are motivated to grow
    • Abraham Maslow
      • Self actualization
      • Hierarchy of Needs image-20180716144220922
    • Carl Rogers
      • People are basically good
      • Driven by unconditional positive regard

1.3. Research Methods

  • Experimental
    • Cause and effect relationship between two or more variables
    • Types of variables
      • Independent variable
        • The variable being manipulated
        • The “cause"
      • Dependent variable
        • The variable being measured for change
        • The “effect”
    • Groups
      • Experimental group
        • Exposed to the “cause”
        • Receives the independent variable
      • Control group
        • Not exposed to the “cause”
        • Receives no treatment or some treatment that should have no effect
    • Methods
      • Random Assignment
        • Randomly choose who goes into each group
        • Decrease bias
      • Blind and Double Blind Study
        • Neither party knows what they are receiving
        • Leads to a more pure research study
      • Placebo and Placebo Effect
        • The sheer belief that I'm taking a medicine will change people's state of mind
  • Clinical
    • Case studies
      • Freud used this method to develop psychoanalytic theory
      • Hard to apply to a boader population
    • Naturalistic observation
      • Observe the behaviours of our subjects in a naturalistic environment
      • Agreement among observers
    • Clinical interviews
      • Inter-rater reliability
  • Correlational
    • Ideas
      • How two variables relate to one another
      • No manipulation of variables
      • Does NOT measure cause and effect
    • Correlation Coefficient
      • A number from -1 to 1
      • Positive Correlation: Correlation Coefficient > 0
      • Negative Correlation: Correlation Coefficient < 0
  • Surveys
    • Self-reporting surveys: Subject to bias

1.4. Ethics in Research

  • Participants must be treated morally and respectfully
  • Clearly state the purpose, duration and process of study
  • Any possible harm or adverse effects should be disclosed

Quiz

  • The science of psychology is typically dated from the establishment of the late-nineteenthcentury Leipzig laboratory of

    • (A) Hermann Ebbinghaus
    • (B) Hermann von Helmholtz
    • (C) William James
    • (D) Wilhelm Wundt
    • (E) John Locke

  • The behavioral research perspective is similar to the sociocultural research perspective because both focus on how behavior and mental processes are explained by

    • (A) internal factors such as genes
    • (B) the external environment
    • (C) memory systems
    • (D) evolution
    • (E) problem-solving skills and reasoning

  • Which of the following types of research design is most appropriate for establishing a cause-andeffect relationship between two variables?

    • (A) Correlational
    • (B) Naturalistic observation
    • (C) Participant observation
    • (D) Experimental
    • (E) Case study

  • Frequency theory and place theory attempt to explain how the inner ear registers the pitch of sound.

    Which statement best reflects current opinion about frequency theory and place theory?

    • (A) Evidence strongly supports frequency theory
    • (B) Evidence strongly supports place theory.
    • (C) Place theory explains the perception of complex sounds well, whereas frequency theory explains the perception of simple sounds well.
    • (D) Place theory explains the perception of high-frequency sounds well, and frequency theory explains the perception of low-frequency sounds well.
    • (E) There is little evidence to support either theory

  • The requirement that prospective participants know the general nature of a study so that they can decide whether to participate is a major part of

    • (A) reciprocal determinism
    • (B) confidentiality
    • (C) informed consent
    • (D) duty to inform
    • (E) debriefing

results matching ""

    No results matching ""