2301 Final Psy

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Objective 1.1

Define psychology. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Key Terms

psychology:
The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Exercises

1. Put a check mark by each statement that is true regarding psychology.
X Psychologists study human behavior.
X Psychologists study animal behavior.
X Psychologists study emotions and mental processes.
_____ Psychology and "common sense" lead to the same conclusions about behavior and mental processes.
_____ Psychology is not a science.

Objective 1.2

Define the scientific method, and explain how it is used in psychology. The scientific method is a self-correcting process for asking questions and observing natures answers; relies on collecting data, generating a theory to explain, producing testable hypothesis based on the theory and then testing those hypotheses empirically. Psychologists use the scientific method to evaluate competing ideas and to find the relationships of variables by collecting data.

Key Terms

scientific method A self-correcting process for asking questions and observing natures answers; relies on collecting data, generating a theory to explain, producing testable hypothesis based on the theory and then testing those hypotheses empirically.

Exercises

1. What is the main purpose of the scientific method? The scientific method proves or disproves competing ideas. Scientists make careful observations and therapies which are revised based on new observations .

2. The steps of the scientific method are (1) identify a problem or research question, (2) design a study, (3) collect data, (4) analyze data, (5) draw conclusions, and (6) communicate findings. Identify the step associated with each of the following activities:
_____ Dr. Lopez noted "absent" or "present" by each student's name on his class roll at each class meeting. He recorded students' exam scores on his roll sheet as well.
_____ Dr. Lopez hypothesized that students who consistently attend class get higher grades than those who are absent more often.
_____ Dr. Lopez published the results of his study in the Journal of Community College Teaching.
_____ Dr. Lopez calculated the correlation between his students' rates of absence and their exam scores and found that the two variables were positively associated.
_____ Dr. Lopez planned to track students' attendance and exam scores and to correlate these two variables at the end of the semester.
_____ Dr. Lopez inferred that the data he collected supported his hypothesis regarding the relationship between attendance and exam scores.