Untitled

• The lecture covers research methods in psychology.

Assignment 1

• It gives students an opportunity to practice scientific thinking
• It requires writing about 3 scientific principles and 1 warning sign, 250-350 words each, totaling 1,400 words
• Submissions in bullet form are not acceptable
• Assignments must be submitted electronically through Turnitin
• Turnitin functions as a learning tool to identify overlap, rather than punish plagiarism
• Accepts .doc or .docx file formats
• Due by 11:59 p.m. on September 26th

History of Psychology

• Early psychology was influenced by spiritualism, concept of evil spirits, and lunar cycles
• Initially indistinguishable from philosophy
• William Wundt established the first psychological laboratory in Germany, marking the beginning of psychology as a science

Major theoretical viewpoints in psychology

• Behaviorism
• Cognitivism
• Psychoanalysis

Social Stigma

• Psychological disorders carry a substantial stigma in society
• Those with such disorders may not seek help for fear of judgment and may have less chance of full recovery

Behaviourism

• It seeks to uncover the general laws of learning by studying observable behaviours
• John B. Watson founded behaviourism
• B. F. Skinner held that behaviour can be strengthened or weakened by consequences -- reinforcement or punishment, respectively
• Punishment is considered relatively ineffective in the long run
• It suggests studying the input (possible consequences) and output (observable behaviour), regarding the mind as a black box

Watson & Little Albert

• One of the first experiments to produce fear of an object not previously feared
• Considered unethical based on today’s standards
• Ethical deficits were a failure to remove the fear produced and a failure to follow up

Pavlov's Classical Conditioning

• Before learning, there is an unconditioned stimulus and response
• After learning, the conditioned stimulus elicits a conditioned response

Cognitivism

• Focuses on cognition and cognitive psychology
• Explores the black box of the mind
• Related to work done by Jean Piaget
• Involves cognitive neuroscience and affective neuroscience

Psychoanalysis

• Major figures are Sigmund Freud and Breuer.
• Involves study of the unconscious mind and Freudian slips
• Places great emphasis on early life experiences
• Has been criticized given reliance on unconscious processes that cannot be falsified.

Nature-Nurture Debate

• John Locke proposed that the mind is a tabula rasa at birth
• Supported through behaviour genetics research
• Recognizes that both genes and the environment play significant roles in behaviours

Free-Will Determinism Debate

• Considers to what extent behaviours are freely selected versus caused by external factors.
• One perspective is determinism
• Determinism proposes that free will is an illusion
• Behaviours are often generated without conscious awareness (B. F. Skinner)

Types of Thinking

• Type 1 thinking is "intuitive thinking"
• Quick and reflexive, doesn't require much mental effort
• Type 2 thinking is "analytical thinking"
• Slow and reflective, takes mental effort
• Research designs emphasize using analytical thinking in the design
• Ensures consideration of alternative explanations

Generalizability

• Involves studying a population sample and participant
• Achieved through a representative sample through random selection
• A large and randomly selected sample is ideal and representative
• If this is not possible, a smaller random sample is an alternative

Evaluating Measures of Research

• Reliability measures whether a measure is consistent
• Validity examines the extent to which a measure assesses what it claims to measure

Reliability and Validity

• Reliability is necessary for validity, reliability does not guarantee validity

Replicability & Reproducibility

• Replicability requires ability to duplicate the original findings of a study using new data from new participants
• Reproducibility requires ability to review and reanalyze the data from a study and find the same results

Open-Science Movement

• In response to the replicability crisis
• Emphasizes sharing datasets in public research archives
• Aims to replicate findings, but it also involves preregistering research and publishing sound science
• Combats the "file drawer problem"
• Places importance on broad patterns of findings across studies