Chapter 1

1
Chapter 1 What is Psychology?Section 1 Why
Study Psychology?
2
SO, WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?

• THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MENTAL PROCESSES AND
  BEHAVIORS.
• PSYCH COMES FROM THE WORD PSYCHE WHICH MEANS
  THE MIND.
• OLOGY MEANS THE STUDY OF.

3
PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

• PSEUDO MEANS FALSE OR NOT TRUE.
• SO PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY IS A FALSE OR UNSCIENTIFIC
  FORM OF PSYCHOLOGY.

4
PSYCHOLOGY VS PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

• PSYCHOLOGY ATTEMPTS TO PROVE THINGS VALID, OR
  TRUE.
• PSYCHOLOGISTS, LIKE SCIENTISTS, USE THE
  SCIENTIFIC METHOD TO FIND MEANING BEHIND
  BEHAVIORS.

• THEY MAKE OBSERVATIONS, HYPOTHESIS, AND THEORIES.
• BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL PROCESSES CAN BE SEEN THUS
  THEY CAN BE MEASURED (SCIENTIFIC).

5
PSCYHOLOGY VS PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

• PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGIES ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY WHAT
  PEOPLE ARE LIKE OR WHY PEOPLE BEHAVE THE WAY THEY
  DO.

• HOWEVER, PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGIES ARE DIFFICULT TO
  MEASURE SCIENTIFICALLY, MAKING THEM DIFFICULT TO
  PROVE VALID, OR TRUE.

6
FORMS OF PSCYHOLOGY

• I.Q. (INTELLIGENCE) TESTS
• TEST POPULATIONS (EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL
  GROUPS)
• INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS
• CASE STUDIES

7
FORMS OF PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

• PALMISTRY (PALM READING)
• PSYCHICS
• NUMEROLOGY (STUDY OF NUMBERS ON PERSONALITY)
• ASTROLOGY (STUDY OF THE PLANETS ON PERSONALITY)

8
LETS TEST THIS OUT!

• WRITE DOWN YOUR FAVORITE COLOR, QUICKLY, WITHOUT
  THINKING.

9
IS COLOROLOGY A PSYCHOLOGY OR A PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY?
10
REMEMBER!!

• WAS THE DEMONSTRATION CONVINCING EVIDENCE TO
  SUPPORT A SCIENTIFIC CLAIM?
• DO THE PERSONALITY DESCRIPTIONS AND HANDWRITING
  SAMPLES HOLD UP WELL UNDER SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY?
• WHAT WOULD MAKE IT SCIENTIFIC?

11
Ticket out the door (quiz time!)

• Please fill out the Ticket out the Door on the
  back of the half sheet of paper I passed out.
• Be as specific as you can, being sure to use any
  terms we spoke about today.
• Have a great day!
• End of section 1