Ch. 1 Science of Psychology Lecture Notes PDF

9/10/2024 1 2 Do ask questions!...

9/10/2024 1 2 Do ask questions! If you are confused about something, Ch. 1 – The Science of please raise your hand and ask! It is hard to focus when you are distracted by questions you have Psychology If something is unclear to you, chances are it is unclear to others as PSYC 2900U – RESEARCH METHODS well KARLA EMENO I will ask again at the end of class if anyone has any questions, but you don’t need to wait until then for questions that come up during class 1 2 Lecture Overview 3 How do you know things? 4 How do we know if something is true or not? Methods of knowing What do you need to be convinced that something is true? 1. Because it feels true in your gut  Intuition Understanding science 2. Because someone you respect says it is true  Authority Goals of science 3. Because logically it seems true  Rationalism 4. Because your observations and experience suggest it is true Science and common sense  Empiricism 5. Because you have systematically collected and evaluated Use the library evidence and they says it is true  The Scientific Method (research is this approach) 3 4 5 Science versus Pseudoscience 6 What is science? Science – way of knowing that is based on empirical Is psychology a science? studies…that are informed by prior research The scientific study of human behaviour and mental processes Has to be falsifiable (i.e., has to be able to be disproven) What makes a line of inquiry scientific? Empirical study (empiricism) – Research based on Empirical systematic observation Systematic Observation Pseudoscience – appears to be scientific, but it is not Objective May lack empirical questions (i.e., they are not Findings are public and available to others falsifiable), systematic empiricism, or public knowledge 5 6 1  9/10/2024 Four Goals of Psychology 7 Types of Research 8 Basic Research: Applied Research: 1. Description – tells “what” occurred Focus on fundamental principles Direct relationship to real world & testing theories Focus on relating results to a 2. Explanation – tells “why” a behaviour or mental Study conditions tend to be particular situation process occurred more contrived Study conditions & results Extensive control, yields: clearly occur in daily life 3. Prediction – identifies conditions under which a future greater replication Control is more challenging behaviour or mental process is likely to occur More pronounced treatment Readily applied outside of 4. Change – applies psychological knowledge to effects psychology, academia prevent unwanted behaviour or to bring about Provides basis for theories, desired goals principles that apply to various topics 7 8 Basic or applied? 9 10 Science and Common Sense 1. Where does an individual’s personality come from? 2. How can we increase the likelihood that people will reduce pollution by relying on public transportation? Is psychology even necessary? Can we not reach 3. How are serotonin levels associated with depression? the same conclusions based on common sense or intuition? 4. Are there special receptors in the brain that are responsible for facial recognition? If so, where are they located? Folk Psychology – Intuitive beliefs about people’s 5. What factors contribute to prejudices? behaviour, thoughts, and feelings 6. Should faces on magazine covers be presented in a specific Much of our folk psychology is reasonably location to increase liking of the magazine? accurate, but some of it is not 7. How can we reduce prejudices and intergroup conflict in the classroom? 9 10 11 12 How could we be so wrong? Developing Research Idea Um…, I need to find an idea? You got one? We tend to rely on mental shortcuts (i.e., heuristics) in Personal Interests, Curiosities, Experiences forming and maintaining our beliefs Systematic observation Confirmation Bias – We tend to focus on cases that Theory confirm our intuitive beliefs and not on cases dis- Practical Problems confirm them Vague & Fleeting Thoughts Skepticism – Consider alternatives and search for Reading the Ideas of Others evidence Major Events Tolerance for Uncertainty – Accept that there are New Technologies many things that we simply do not know Flip the Standard Question 11 12 2  9/10/2024 13 Research Question Examples 14 Developing Research Topic Note: You will likely find that your research question is more specific than Narrowing your topic of interest the examples below. Possible causes? 1. How does social media use impact perceptions of body image in Possible effects? male adolescents? Are certain types of people affected more or less? 2. Can certain kinds of music trigger memories in people with memory Are the effects diminished or exacerbated under loss? certain situations? 3. Does grief accelerate the aging process? Visit this website for some info on narrowing your topic 4. How do personality traits influence leadership styles and effectiveness and developing a research question in organizational settings? Evaluating research questions for 5. How does technology impact the development of social anxiety Interest disorder? Feasibility 6. How does incarceration affect mental health? 13 14 15 16 Use the Library Grading for All Assignments Part marks are possible Make use of the library, while you have access! You just need to log in You start with zero and earn the points based on the strength of your assignment using your student # and password. If your TA cannot understand what you mean, they cannot give you a point In psychology, you probably want to go to the library’s list of Be clear databases: https://guides.library.ontariotechu.ca/az.php?a=p Consider trading assignments with a peer who has also completed a draft of PsycARTICLES (full articles) OR the assignment. Have them flag anything they don’t understand or find confusing (and you do the same for them) – try to fix these issues before PsycINFO (abstracts, often but not always linked to the actual submitting paper, from all psychology peer-reviewed papers) The TAs cannot look at assignments and give you feedback before they grade Tutorial 1 will also provide info on accessing research articles on the It would not be fair for the TA to look over your entire assignment, as they do library website not have the time to do this for everyone Slides provided by the FSSH Librarian are available in Canvas as well However, if you have a specific question or item you are concerned about then you can ask about that (time permitting during the tutorial) 15 16 Questions about Chapter 1? 17 17 3