Psychology 101
CHAPTER 1
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes
Thinking critically with Psychology
Hindsight bias- Common Sense describes what has happened after the fact more easily than it predicts what will happen before the fact
Common sense is a poor guide
The Scientific Method
Theory- an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations
Hypothesis- a testable prediction implied by a theory
Simple Observation- simply observing world around you, and asking questions why people think and behave as they do
Darley and Latane thought that they more the bystanders, the less likely to give someone aid, and it was true
Confederate- playing the part of someone in distress, but they are just playing a roll
Personal Experience- psychologists want to know their own weakness and tendencies
Replication- basic findings can be observed with different participants with different circumstances
Operational Definition- specific statement used to define research variables, so it can be repeated by others
To choose a research design:
Pick between 3 methods- descriptive, correlational, experiment
Pick between 2 settings- lab or field
Descriptive Methods
The Case Study- deep investigation of a single subject
The Survey- investigation of many people
Naturalistic Observation- behavior in its natural environment and describing in detail
Jane Goodall- studied chimpanzees and showed observations in natural habit are more complex than previously supposed
Another Ex: they used it for interaction on peoples behavior
What is a representative sample? One that accurately shows the population of interest
Experimental Methods
Manipulate one or more factors, while holding other factors constant
Variable- anything that can fluctuate or change states
Independent Variable- vary independently of other variables whose effect is being studied
Dependent Variable- variable that may
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes
Thinking critically with Psychology
Hindsight bias- Common Sense describes what has happened after the fact more easily than it predicts what will happen before the fact
Common sense is a poor guide
The Scientific Method
Theory- an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations
Hypothesis- a testable prediction implied by a theory
Simple Observation- simply observing world around you, and asking questions why people think and behave as they do
Darley and Latane thought that they more the bystanders, the less likely to give someone aid, and it was true
Confederate- playing the part of someone in distress, but they are just playing a roll
Personal Experience- psychologists want to know their own weakness and tendencies
Replication- basic findings can be observed with different participants with different circumstances
Operational Definition- specific statement used to define research variables, so it can be repeated by others
To choose a research design:
Pick between 3 methods- descriptive, correlational, experiment
Pick between 2 settings- lab or field
Descriptive Methods
The Case Study- deep investigation of a single subject
The Survey- investigation of many people
Naturalistic Observation- behavior in its natural environment and describing in detail
Jane Goodall- studied chimpanzees and showed observations in natural habit are more complex than previously supposed
Another Ex: they used it for interaction on peoples behavior
What is a representative sample? One that accurately shows the population of interest
Experimental Methods
Manipulate one or more factors, while holding other factors constant
Variable- anything that can fluctuate or change states
Independent Variable- vary independently of other variables whose effect is being studied
Dependent Variable- variable that may