Studying Human Behavior
Theories organize observations and attempt to explain behaviors.
Theories generate hypotheses (predictions that can be tested using descriptive, correlational, or experimental methods).
Research results may validate the theory, or lead to its rejection or revision .
The precise language used in operational definitions allows replication by others. (Similar results increase confidence in original conclusion.)
Case studies study one person in depth.
Surveys study many people in less depth, using random sampling to fairly represent the population being studied.
Naturalistic observation studies behavior in naturally occurring situations.
Correlations tell us how well one event predicts another (using a measure called a correlation coefficient), but not whether one event caused the other, or whether some third factor influenced both events .
In a positive correlation, both items increase or decrease together.
In a negative correlation, one item increases as the other decreases.
An illusory correlation is a perceived relationship that does not exist.
We perceive relationships in random coincidences, because they stand out and are memorable .
CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION.
Create a controlled, simplified version of reality.
Manipulate one factor (the independent variable) while controlling others.
Measure changes in other factors (dependent variables).
Minimize differences between groups (through random assignment).
Compare experimental group results with control group results.
May use a double-blind procedure to control for the placebo effect.
Research on animals advances our understanding of other species and sometimes benefits them directly.
Animal experimentation advances our understanding of ourselves and may help solve human problems.
Professional ethical standards and other legal guidelines, enforced by ethics committees, protect participants.
Values influence choice of research topics, theories, and observations, labels for behavior, and professional advice.
Extensive reviews of the relevant research literature.
Psych 101 #1 Study Guide
Exam #1 Study Guide
Instructor: Mark Wiseman
What is a broad definition of psychology?
What is "pseudoscience" and "psychobabble," and how are these concepts different from psychology?
What is critical thinking? How is critical thinking relevant to the study of psychology?
What are eight guidelines to critical thinking?
What are some of psychology's historical antecedents? What influence did it have on modern-day psychology?
Who founded psychology's first laboratory and what was studied there?
What are the three primary activities that modern day psychologists do?
What are the different forms that "practicing psychologist" can take?
What are the five major perspectives that are discussed in this text?
How do the "humanist" and "feminist" movements fit into modern day psychology?
The characteristics of any scientific field, including psychology.
Basic aspects of Descriptive Research. v the primary assumptions and limitations of correlational research..
The basic underpinnings of Experimental Research
How psychological researchers use statistics to understand the results of studies.
The ethical standards by which psychological researchers operate.
How knowledge is constructed from research in psychology.
What is the basic architecture of the Nervous System?
What are neurons and how do they communicate with each other and the rest of the body?
What are the chemical messengers used in this communication process?
What are the brain's primary structures and what are some ways in which scientists study those structures?
What is a 'split brain' patient? What have scientists learned about the brain's two halves from these patients?
How are memories stored in the brain? What role do hormones play in memory?
Why do we sleep? What's going on in the brain when we sleep?
How do behavioral geneticists view the origins of behavior, and how does that view differ from that of evolutionary psychologists?
What are genes, and how do scientists check their influence on organisms?
What are some of the major ways in which humans are similar, and how do genes account for this similarity?
What are the evolutionary roots to perception, emotion, sociability, language, and sexual behavior?
How do sociobiologists explain similarities in humans' courting and dating behavior?
What is the concept of heritability and how does it explain how humans differ from one another?
What do psychologists know about the genetic bases of intelligence and personality?
Psych 101 Exam #1 Study Guide
Psychology 101 slides 2nd lecture
plain a specified set of phenomena and their interrelationships.
Hypothesis: A statement that attempts to predict or to account for a set of phenomena; Scientific hypotheses specify relationships among events or variables and are empirically tested.
Operational definitions: A precise definition of a term in a hypothesis, which specifies the operations for observing and measuring the process or phenomenon being defined.
Skepticism: doubting what is thought to be true.
Reliance on empirical evidence: hypotheses are judged by empirical backing.
Openness: scientists should be willing to share their information. Replication of findings is important in order to substantiate research.
Descriptive methods: Methods that yield descriptions of behavior but not necessarily causal explanations.
Case study: A detailed description of a particular individual being studied or treated.
Observational Studies: A study in which the researcher carefully and systematically observes and records behavior without interfering with the behavior; it may involve either naturalistic or laboratory observation.
Naturalistic observation is looking at how people or animals act in their normal environments.
Laboratory observation is used to control the environment in order to observe the effects of certain variables.
Psychological Tests: Procedures used to measure and evaluate personality traits, emotional states, aptitudes, interests, abilities, and values.
Standardization is used to develop uniform procedures for giving and scoring a test.
Norms are established standards of performance.
Psychological Tests Continued . . .
Validity is the ability of a test to measure what it was designed to measure.
Content Validity: Do items broadly represent the trait in question?
Criterion Validity: Do the test results predict other measures of the trait?
Surveys: Questionnaires and interviews that ask people directly about their experiences, attitudes, or opinions.
Representative sample: A group of subjects, selected from a population for study, which matches the population on important characteristics such as age and sex.
Volunteer bias: A shortcoming of findings derived from a sample of volunteers instead of a representative sample; the volunteers may differ from those who did not volunteer.
Correlational Study: A descriptive study that looks for a consistent relationship between two phenomena.
Correlation is a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another. Correlation does not equal causation!
Variables are characteristics of behavior or experience that can be measured or described by a numeric scale; variables are manipulated and assessed in scientific studies.
Positive correlation is an association between increases in one variable and increases in another.
is a measure of how strongly two variables are related to one another. Correlation does not equal causation!