Psychology Has Many Faces:

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Psychology Has Many Faces Science, Academic
Discipline, Healing Profession
Teacher
Clinician
Researcher
Understand Research Methods
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Behavioral Neuroscientist
Behavior in relation to the Brain

Strong Background in Research Methods!
Psychology
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Understanding Psych Research
Understanding Science Research Science
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A scientist Finds intellectual excitement in
creating questions and seeking answers
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Science a process of inquiry
The process of formulating specific questions
and then finding answers in order to better
understanding
Basic Curiosity We Ask Questions of Science
And Get answers D.E. Moss
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Psychology the science of human animal
behavior Goal gather an organized body of
knowledge Psychological research seeks
scientific explanation for behavior

• Empirical based on observable evidence
• 2. Testable verifiable through direct
  observation
• 3. Rational follow rules of logic, consistent
  with known facts (not based on assumptions known
  to be false)

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Scientific explanations strive to be 1.
Parsimonious offer the least complex explanation
that requires the fewest assumptions 2.
General can be applied to more than the original
set of circumstances broad explanatory
power 3. Tentative (Skepticism) readily
replaced by better explanation
Occams Razor Do not multiply hypotheses
unduly Choose the simplest explanation!!!!
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Science is based on
Empiricism Collecting data
Rationalism Formulating Question
Skepticism Interpretation of data

• Decarte (thinking)
• reasoning
• rules of logic

• Thales (observation)
• careful observation
• of nature

Documentation - data
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What is Science?
1. Technology?
4. Objective search for the truth?
2. Collection of facts?
3. Finished Product?
6. Grows continuously?
5. Immediate solutions to practical problems?
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What is Science?
Technology NO! Immediate contribution to human
welfare Ex The Genome Project
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What is Science?
Just a Collection of Facts NO! Integration of
data but also theory driven relating data to
principles (theories)
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What is Science?
Finished Product NO! One experiment inevitably
leads to other questionsserendipity!
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What is Science?
Search for the Truth NO! Implies there is one
right question for every phenomena
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What is Science?
Science Grows Continuously NO! Science grows
awkwardly One direction then another
direction Science has a history of fads (style
that interests many people for a short time) Ex
Schools of Psychology
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Structuralism the study of the structure of
conscious experience
(1832-1920)

• moved psychological study from the domain of
  philosophy and the natural sciences and began to
  utilize physiological experimental techniques in
  the laboratory SCIENCE

50 years
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Functionalism Consciousness as well as behavior
must serve some sort of purpose the function
of the mind William James (1842-1910) my
thinking is first, last always for the sake of
doing Professor at Harvard Taught first class
in experimental Psych in US

• moved psychological study from the domain of
  just the mind to behavior
• influence of Darwin - animal research
• applied research (practical questions ie.,
  education, training, developmental)

50 years
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60 years
Behaviorism All other schools to mentalistic
and to subjective not observable, not science
Focus is on relationship between the
environment and behavior John Watson
(1878-1957) University of Chicago Johns Hopkins

• moved psychological away from the mind only
  behavior
• transferred all mentalistic content into S-R
  we only think we think
• animal research (Pavlov. Skinner)
• Against Freud!

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No longer one school of Psychology
Social Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Biological Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Neuropsychology
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• Assignment Read Goodstein Article
• How Science Works
• -take notes
• answer question via group discussion
• present answers as a group in class
• If you did not read, you will be asked to leave
  during discussion time