General Psychology PSY111

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General Psychology PSY111

• Fall Semester, 2010
• Jim Wilwerding, M.Div., MA, LMHC,CADC, NCC

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What is the purpose of education?

• Should education teach people
• WHAT to think?
• HOW to think?

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Critical Thinking

• The process of objectively evaluating, comparing,
  analyzing, and synthesizing information.
• Involves components of
• Affective (emotional)
• Cognitive (thought)
• Behavioral (actions)

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Affective Components of Critical Thinking

• Value truth above self-interest
• Accept change
• Empathize
• Welcome divergent views
• Tolerate ambiguity
• Recognize personal biases

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Cognitive Components of Critical Thinking

• Think independently
• Define problems accurately
• Analyze data for value and content
• Employ a variety of thinking processes
• Synthesize
• Resist overgeneralization
• Employ metacognition (think about thinking)

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Behavioral Components

• Delay judgment until data is available
• Employ precise terms
• Gather data
• Distinguish fact from opinion
• Encourage critical dialogue
• Listen actively
• Modify judgments in light of new information
• Apply knowledge to new situations

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Psychology

• From two Greek words
• Psyche meaning mind
• Logos meaning word
• Employs Scientific Method
• Requires Critical thinking skills

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Psychology is the scientific study of behavior
and mental processes
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Goals of Psychology

• Describe
• Explain
• Predict
• Change

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Careers in Psychology

• Biopsychology/Neuroscience
• Clinical
• Cognitive
• Counseling
• Developmental

• Educational/school
• Experimental
• Gender and/or cultural
• Industrial/ organizational
• Social

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Psychological Theory

• What is your belief about human nature?
• What are your assumptions about
  unconscious/conscious, human development,
  learning and socialization?
• What is your understanding about time
  orientation?
• What is your belief about the process of change
  and free will?
• What is your belief about the role of the helper?

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Perspectives

• Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic
• Freud, Jung, Adler, Horney
• Behaviorism
• Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, Skinner
• Humanistic psychology
• Rogers, Maslow
• Cognitive psychology
• Piaget, Ellis, Bandura, Sternberg, Gardner

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Perspectives

• Neuroscience/biopsychology
• Muller, Lashley, Hubel, Olds, Sperry, Pert
• Evolutionary psychology
• Darwin, Lorenz, Wilson, Buss
• Sociocultural psychology
• Berry, Greenfield, Brislin
• Biopsychosocial Model

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Research in Psychology

• Basic researchexplores theories, general
  scientific understanding (meets first three goals
  of psychologydescribe, explain, and predict)
• Applied researchaddresses real-world problems
  (meets fourth goalchange)

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The Scientific Method

1. Review of literature (or ask a question)
2. Develop testable hypothesis
3. Design study and collect data
4. Analyze dataaccept or reject hypothesis
5. Publish, replicate, and seek review
6. Build a theory

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Ethical Issues

• Human participants
• Informed consent
• Deception
• Confidentiality/anonymity
• Special issues for students
• Non-human participants
• Ethical issues related to psychotherapy

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Descriptive research
• Correlational research
• Biological research

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Seeks to identify cause and effect
• Meets the goal of explanation
• High level of control over variables
• High controllimited applicability

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Variables

• Independentthe variable that is manipulated
• Dependentthe variable that is measured

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Descriptive research
• Collection of data without manipulation
• Low level of artificiality
• No control of variableslower explanation of why

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Descriptive Research
• Naturalistic Observationmeasure and record
  behavior of participants
• Surveysused to determine opinions, attitudes,
  feelings or behaviors related to a specific issue
• Case studiesintensive study of a particular
  case, patient or situation

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Descriptive research
• Correlational research
• Identifies relationships between variables
• Statistical analysis
• No cause and effect only relationships

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Psychological Research

• Experimental research
• Descriptive research
• Correlational research
• Biological research
• Studies brain and nervous system
• Identifies cause, description and prediction
• Shares advantages/disadvantages of other three
  types
• Several methods of study (see text pp. 37-38)

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Variables

• A psychology student decided to design a study to
  determine the correlation between the number of
  hours a student studied and final exam score.
• Identify the independent and dependent variables
  in this study
• Propose a simple design for this study

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Problems to research

• Experimenter bias
• Safeguarded by using blind or double blind
  studies
• Ethnocentrism
• A particular type of experimenter bias in which
  one assumes (remember?) that what holds for ones
  own culture is also true for other cultures

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Problems to research

• Sample biasusing a sample that is not
  representative of the general population
• Safeguarded by use of random or representative
  sampling or random assignment
• Participant biasoccurs when participants attempt
  to present themselves in a particular light
• Safeguarded by anonymity, double blind methods,
  etc.

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Correlation

• By observing or measuring two or more variables,
  one can determine a relationship or correlation
• Positive correlationthe two variables move or
  vary in the same direction
• Negative correlationthe two variable move or
  vary in opposite directions
• Zero correlationno relationship

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Correlation

• Correlation Coefficients
• Vary from -1.00 to 1.00
• Numerical value indicates the relative strength
  of the relationship between the two variables
• /- Indicates direction of relationship
• Relationship can be STRONG whether it is a
  positive or negative relationship
• REMEMBER 0 indicates NO RELATIONSHIP

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The Correlational Method

• Correlational data can be graphed and a line of
  best fit can be drawn
• Positive correlation variables change in the
  same direction
• Negative correlation variables change in the
  opposite direction

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Positive Correlation
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Negative Correlation
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No Correlation
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Discussion

• As a critically thinking student of psychology,
  you wish to study the relationship between good
  manners in the lunchroom and aggressive play on
  the playground among second grade students.
• Identify the variables and types
• What type of research would you be doing?
• What research method would you use?
• What are some ethical issues involved?

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Discussion

• After completing the above study, you determine a
  correlation coefficient of -0.89. What
  conclusions could you draw? Prepare to defend
  your conclusions.