The Science Of Psychology PDF

The Science of Psychology What is psychology? Covert The scientific study of human mind and behavior. Overt The origins of psychology Psychology Medicine Philosophy Psychology...

The Science of Psychology What is psychology? Covert The scientific study of human mind and behavior. Overt The origins of psychology Psychology Medicine Philosophy Psychology and Philosophy A philosophical inquiry into the nature of human mind The origin of the word Psyche “Human soul” Is there a consciousness separate from our body? Does that soul have an existence beyond the death of our physical bodies? “I don’t know what my body is for other than for taking my head from room to room.” - John Mulaney Dualism or The Mind-Body Problem “...the mind is separate from the brain but somehow controls the brain and therefore, the rest of the body” - Kalat, 2018, p. 5 Philosophical issues in psychology 1) Mind-body Problem (Dualism) vs Monism (Kalat, 2018, p. 5) a) “Did brain activity cause thoughts or did thoughts cause brain activity?” b) “philosophical question of how experience relates to the brain” 2) Free will vs Determinism a) Are you really free to choose? Or are your choices determined by causes? 3) Nature vs Nurture  Psychology and Medicine Is our personality connected to our physiology? Medicine and Psychology Galen  EARLY SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY How should we study the mind? Wundt, The Father of Psychology I am medical doctor turned physiologist who is interested in sensory experiences and first coined the term “psychology” Wundt Leipzig Wundt, The Father of Psychology Experience can be broken down into elements much like in chemistry ○ sensations and feelings Presented various sensory stimuli and ask participants to observe the intensity and quality of experiences Took note of changes in introspection with changes in stimulus Wundt, The Father of Psychology He used objective introspection, a more “scientific method” of inquiry about how the mind works Marks the first known effort of applying scientific data collection in understanding human mind Structuralism Wundt’s student He called his approach “Structuralism” and described it as an “attempt to describe the structures that compose the mind” feelings, sensations, images Edward Titchener Functionalism Father of American Psychology Consciousness is in a state of flux and thus difficult to capture it’s structure More useful to examine the function of our minds What can the mind do? How does it help us adapt to the environment? Questions include: ○ “Can someone attend to more than one item at a time” (James, 1980 as cited in Kalat, p. 16) William James The Study of Sensation Early psychologists were more concerned with studying perception, rather than personality Disorders were the province of psychiatrists in the field of medicine Easier to study How does physical properties of stimulus correspond to psychological perception? The Study of Human Intelligence Francis Galton (Darwin’s Cousin), was among the first to study human intelligence He wanted to see if individual differences could be traced to heredity Measured intelligence using simple sensory and motor activities The Rise of Behaviorism Experience cannot be directly measured Movement within psychology towards a more scientific approach Behaviorism - a field of psychology that concentrates on observable, measurable behaviors and not on mental processes. Current Perspectives in Psychology Current Perspectives in Psychology 1. Psychodynamic - influence of early childhood experiences, social & interpersonal relationships, development of self 2. Behavioral - human behavior and its consequences 3. Humanistic - focuses on individual’s free will and ability for self-determination 4. Cognitive - focuses on memory, intelligence, thought processes, problem solving Perspectives in psychology 5. Sociocultural - effect of other people and culture on individual 6. Biopsychological - physiological processes that affect human mind and behavior 7. Evolutionary - human mind and behavior developed out of natural selection Research in Psychology Aims of Research in Psychology Describe: What is happening? Explain: Why is it happening? Predict: Under what conditions will it happen again? Control: How could it be changed? Gathering Evidence in Research Hypothesis Method Results Interpretation Replicability Research Designs in Psychology Descriptive Quantitative Qualitative Experimental Correlational Descriptive Research Descriptive To describe phenomenon of interest A descriptive research can be qualitative or quantitative Methods: ○ Observation ○ Case studies Baby’s behaviors could be observed and ○ Survey coded into numbers in quantitative research ○ Interview Correlational Research to determine quantitative relationships between two or Sleep quality more variables Methods: ○ Observation ○ Survey Stress response longitudinal cross-sectional Bivariate Correlational Research Positive Correlation Direction Negative Correlation Magnitude 0.0 - 1.0 Multivariate Correlational Research Intimate Partner Violence Maternal Child Warmth Self-regulation Neighborhood Violence Experimental Research to determine causal relationships ensure that only the Independent Variable causes change in the Dependent Variable Control or account for other variables Sleep quality Stress response Independent Variable Dependent Variable Ethics in Research I’ll conduct an experiment on sleep quality and have some of you periodically wake up several nights for 1 week. Sleep quality Stress response Independent Variable Dependent Variable Is this an ethical research or not? Sleep quality Stress response Independent Variable Dependent Variable Why do we have to be ethical? (PAP Code of Ethics) Principle I: Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples Principle II: Competent Caring for the Well-being of Persons and People Principle III: Integrity Principle IV: Professional and Scientific Responsibilities to People Ethical Principles Principle I: Respect for the Dignity of Persons and Peoples a) respect for the unique worth and inherent dignity of all human beings; b) respect for the diversity among persons and peoples; c) respect for the customs and beliefs of cultures, to be limited only when a custom or a belief d) seriously contravenes the principle of respect for the dignity of persons or peoples or causes serious harm to their well-being; e) free and informed consent, as culturally defined and relevant for individuals, families, groups, and communities; f) privacy for individuals, families, groups, and communities; g) protection of confidentiality of personal information, as culturally defined and relevant for individuals, families, groups, and communities; h) fairness and justice in the treatment of persons and peoples. Ethical Principles Principle II: Competent Caring for the Well-being of Persons and People a) active concern for the well-being of individuals, families, groups, and communities; b) taking care to do no harm to individuals, families, groups, and communities; c) maximizing benefits and minimizing potential harm to individuals, families, groups, and communities; d) correcting or offsetting harmful effects that have occurred as a result of their activities; e) developing and maintaining competence; f) self-knowledge regarding how their own values, attitudes, experiences, and social contexts influence their actions, interpretations, choices, and recommendations; g) respect for the ability of individuals, families, groups, and communities to make decisions for themselves and to care for themselves and each other. Ethical Principles Principle III: Integrity a) honesty, and truthful, open and accurate communications; b) avoiding incomplete disclosure of information unless complete disclosure is culturally inappropriate, or violates confidentiality, or carries the potential to do serious harm to individuals, families, groups, or communities; c) maximizing impartiality and minimizing biases; d) not exploiting persons or peoples for personal, professional, or financial gain; e) avoiding conflicts of interest and declaring them when they cannot be avoided or are inappropriate to avoid. Ethical Principles Principle IV: Professional and Scientific Responsibilities to People a) the discipline’s responsibility to increase scientific and professional knowledge in ways that allow the promotion of the well-being of society and all its members; b) the discipline’s responsibility to use psychological knowledge for beneficial purposes and to protect such knowledge from being misused, used incompetently, or made useless; c) the discipline’s responsibility to conduct its affairs in ways that are ethical and consistent with the promotion of the well-being of society and all its members; d) the discipline’s responsibility to promote the highest ethical ideals in the scientific, professional and educational activities of its members; e) the discipline’s responsibility to adequately train its members in their ethical responsibilities and required competencies; f) the discipline’s responsibility to develop its ethical awareness and sensitivity, and to be as self-correcting as possible. Which ethical principles have not been followed by the study? Sleep quality Stress response Independent Variable Dependent Variable