Science of Psychology

Question 1

What is psychology?

Answer 1

Scientific study of behaviour and mental processes

Scientific: precise & careful observation using scientific method
Behaviour: all overt (evident & observable) actions & reactions (talking, facial expressions & movement)
Mental processes: all internal, covert (hidden) activity of our minds (thinking. feeling, remembering)

Question 2

What are the goals of psychology?

Answer 2

To learn how things work
Uncover mysteries of human & animal behaviour:
- Describe: what is happening?
- Explain: why is it happening?
- Predict: when will it happen again?
- Control: can it be changed

Question 3

Scientific attitude requirements

Answer 3

Curiosity
Scepticism: refusal too believe w/o evidence/scientific sound reasons
Humility

Question 4

What is critical thinking?

Answer 4

aka smart thinking

ability to assess claims & make objective judgement on the basis of well-supported reasons & evidence, rather than emotion/anecdote

think creatively & constructively

Question 5

What did Plato propose?

Answer 5

Proposed that mind & body are fundamentally different

Mind = rational so can be examined to lead to the truth
Senses (part of body) = can be tricked so cannot be trusted

Question 6

What did Aristotle propose?

Answer 6

Mind is primary reason for existence & functioning of body
Senses needed to perceive properly
Believed in nurture (mind blank at birth) = behaviourist

Question 7

What did Hippocrates propose?

Answer 7

Proposed that dz results from natural causes & must be treated by natural methods
Mental ailments have physical reasons & feelings come frm brain not heart
R side of heart control L side & vice versa

Question 8

Objective introspection (Wundt)

Answer 8

Consciousness could be reduced to basic elements & studied & measured based on physical sensations

train ppl to self-reflect so can explain thoughts, feelings, experience, etc when exposed to external stimuli

Question 9

Structuralism (Titchener) (milestones for development)

Answer 9

Structuralism = use introspection to reveal structure of the mind

Self-reflective introspection = objective introspection used on thoughts & physical sensations

Question 10

Why was introspection considered unreliable?

Answer 10

due to variability of experience & debate on key elements of experience

Question 11

Functionalism (James) (milestones for development)

Answer 11

how the mind allows ppl to function in real world - work, play, adapt

interested in importance of consciousness in everyday life (purpose of consciousness)

Question 12

Gestalt’s theory (early approach)

Answer 12

Looks at mind & behaviour as a whole = “the whole is other than the sum of its parts” (??) = looks at things holistically instead of in components

emphasised dynamic nature of visual perception

Question 13

Freud - Psychoanalysis (early approach)

Answer 13

all threatening urges & desires are repressed in the unconscious mind = when they try to surface = create nervous disorders

early childhood experiences crucial = unconscious thought processes & emo responses affect behaviour

Question 14

Behaviourism (early approach)

Answer 14

theory that states that all behaviours are learned through interactions w the environment & behaviour is a response to env. stimuli

Pavlov: conditioning & learning
Watson & Skinner: observable behaviour

Question 15

Humanism (early approach)

Answer 15

Focus on having human needs of love & acceptance satisfied
Focus on how environmental influences can nurture or limit growth potential

View individual as a whole & stress +ve concepts (e.g. free will, self-efficacy

Question 16

What are the contemporary approaches?

Answer 16

1. Cognitive
2. Sociocultural
3. Biological perspective
4. Biopsychological

Question 17

What is cognitive psychology?

Answer 17

Study of human mental processes & their role in thinking, feeling & behaving

focus on memory, intelligence, perception, thought processes, problem-solving, language & learning

Question 18

What does sociocultural psychology emphasise?

Answer 18

social & cultural influences on behaviour

Question 19

What does biological perspectives emphasise?

Answer 19

bodily events & changes assoc. with actions, feelings, thoughts

• Evolutionary psychology
• Behaviour genetics

Question 20

What is evolutionary psychology?

Answer 20

how humans are alike bc of our common biology & evolutionary history

Question 21

What is behaviour genetics?

Answer 21

how humans are diverse bc of our differing genes & env.

Question 22

What does the biopsychological approach consider?

Answer 22

Influences of biological, psychological & socio-cultural factors

integrated approach!

Question 23

Psychiatrist

Answer 23

doctor
biological approach
can give meds

Question 24

Clinical psychologist

Answer 24

diagnoses, treats, studies mental & emotional problems

Question 25

Psychoanalyst

Answer 25

practices psychoanalysis
may treat any kind of emo disorders/pathology

Question 26

Psychotherapist

Answer 26

any kind of psychotherapy

Question 27

Counsellor

Answer 27

deals with normal life problems
X training in assessment/treatment of mental health issues

Question 28

What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?

Answer 28

1. Perceive the Qn (a situation you want an explanation for)
2. Form a hypothesis (tentative explanation abt situation)
3. Test the hypothesis (collect data & analyse results)
4. Draw conclusions (success/failure to explain situation)
5. Report your results

Question 29

What are the research methods in psychology?

Answer 29

1. Descriptive methods
2. Correlational methods
3. Experimental methods

Question 30

What are descriptive studies?

Answer 30

Establishing the facts
1. Observational studies
2. Case studies
3. Surveys
4. Psychological tests

Question 31

What are observational studies?

Answer 31

Observe ppl/animals in natural env./research setting

Question 32

What are case studies?

Answer 32

study an indiv in greater detail; learn as much as you can abt the indiv

Question 33

What are psychological tests?

Answer 33

use assessment instruments that measure & evaluate personality traits, emotional states, aptitudes, abilities, values, interests

Question 34

What are correlational studies?

Answer 34

Looking for r/s

+ve or -ve correlation = measure of the direction of a r/s b/w two variables
X est. cause & effect (only r/s)
Coefficient of correlation = strength & direction of r/s (1 or -1= perfectly linear)

Question 35

What are experimental methods (research methods)?

Answer 35

Hunting for causes

determine cause of a behaviour by deliberately manipulating one/more variables & measure changes in variables of interest

Question 36

What are some experimental hazards?

Answer 36

1. Placebo effect: expectations & biases of participants in study can influence their behaviour
2. Experimenter effect: experimenter’s bias can affect/influence participant’s behaviour

Question 37

How to solve the experimental hazards (biases)?

Answer 37

1. Single blind study = participants blind to condition assigned
2. Double blind study = participants & experimenters blind to condition

Question 38

look at slide 17 of lecture 1 part 2

overview of research methods in psychology

Answer 38

HAVE YOU LOOKED AT IT????????

Question 39

Evaluation of findings

Answer 39

1. Descriptive statistics - organise & summarise data = mean & s.d.
2. Inferential statistics = how meaningful = significance tests & confidence intervals
3. Interpret findings = choose best explanation, judge result’s importance

Question 40

What are the bodies that review research projects?

Answer 40

1. National medical ethics committee
2. Hospital ethics committees
3. Institutional review boards @ universities

Question 41

What are some guidelines for doing research w people?

Answer 41

Read - common sense

1. rights & well-being of participants come first
2. informed consent
3. Deception must be reasonable & justifiable
4. can withdraw any time
5. explicitly informed & protected form risks
6. nature of study and expectation of results must be explained
7. identities & personal info confidential
8. researcher responsible for detecting & addressing undesirable consequences

Question 42

Ethical considerations for research w animals

Answer 42

• avoid unnecessary pain/suffering
• ensure comfort, health, human treatment, minimise infection, illness, pain
• housed under reasonably natural loving conditions w companions for social animals