Introduction to Psychology Prologue

Prologue (Introduction to Psychology)

• Psychology emerged from philosophy and physiology
• Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes
• Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychological laboratory in 1879, focusing on introspection (examining one's own conscious experience)
• Key historical schools of thought include structuralism (studying the structure of the mind), functionalism (studying the function of the mind), behaviorism (studying observable behavior), psychodynamic (emphasizing unconscious drives), humanistic (emphasizing free will and self-actualization), biological (studying the biological basis of behavior) and cognitive (studying mental processes).
• Different sub-fields of psychology study various areas of human behavior and mental processes (e.g., clinical/counseling, developmental, personality, and industrial-organizational psychology)
• Psychologists use different methods to study their subjects, including observation, self-reports, and physiological measures
• The five steps of the scientific method include: defining the problem, forming a hypothesis, designing and testing the hypothesis, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions

Chapter 1 (Psychological Science/Methods)

• Hindsight bias and overconfidence can impact behavior and decision-making
• Goals of science include description, prediction, understanding, and control
• The scientific method involves five steps: define the problem, form a hypothesis, design and test the hypothesis, analyze data, and draw conclusions
• Replication is important in scientific research to verify results and build confidence in findings
• Theories and hypotheses are key components of scientific investigations, offering frameworks to organize and predict phenomena.
• Operational definitions are crucial for precise measurements and replication in research studies.
• Different types of measurements exist, including self-reports, observation, and physiological measures.

Chapter 2 (Biology/Neuroscience)

• The brain is plastic, meaning it can adapt to new experiences and injuries
• The nervous System and endocrine system function in relationship to each other
• Neurons communicate via electrochemical processes.
• Different parts of the brain (e.g., pons, medulla, cerebellum, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebrum, lobes) are responsible for specific functions, such as movement, sensory processing, emotion, memory, and more.
• Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit signals between neurons.
• Types of neurotransmitters have different roles in the brain; some contribute to arousal and others to pain control and emotional states
• The nervous system has multiple branches with various functions, including the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

Research Methods

• SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Retrieve, Review) is a useful study method.
• Experimental research designs explore cause and effect
• Correlation research demonstrates a relationship between variables, but does not establish causation.
• Descriptive studies provide a snapshot of a particular behavior or phenomenon without exploring cause-and-effect relationships.
• Important ethical considerations (informed consent, debriefing) are involved in research with human subjects.