Psycho Unit 1

Unit 1

Introduction to Psychology

Psychology: Psychology is the systematic study of behaviour and mental processes including perception, cognition and emotion.

Cognition: is thinking, knowing and processing information.

Perception: mental processes of organising sensations into meaningful patterns

Emotion: changes in facial expressions and adoptive behaviour

Behaviour: is any observable action made by a living person or animal. There are now 2 types of behaviour – overt and covert.

Overt: observable actions and responses (eating and talking)

Covert: internal activities (thinking, remembering)

Psychology is a Science because…
It develops hypothesis’ which can be tested through research
It uses research procedures
It relies on systematic data collection
It replicates studies to test results
It challenges existing beliefs
Its avoids emotional reasoning and relies on logic

Goals of Psychology…
Describe – Try to describe how people think, feel and act in a given situation
Explain – Try to understand why people, think, feel and act in a given situation
Predict – Try to estimate when, where and under what circumstances this behaviour will occur
Control (debated) – Try to influence the behaviour

Ethics: refers to standards that guide individuals to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct

Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research…

The Researcher’s Role: must take ethical issues into consideration and is responsible for ensuring that the research is conducted in a manner that participants welfare is most important

Participant’s Rights: that no psychological or physical harm is caused from research

Confidentiality: test results and personal data cannot be revealed without written consent

Voluntary Participation: participant must not be pressured into participating

Informed Consent: wherever possible participants must be appropriately informed of the type of study and the reasons for research