PSYCH 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Santiago Ramón Y Cajal, Nonviolent Video Game, Efferent Nerve Fiber
7 Jan 2017
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Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology
The Nature/Nurture Debate…
Which on is responsible for our behavior?
➔ Nature=biology, genetics
➔ Nurture=environment, situation
Introspection: what people think and know
Behaviorism: John B Watson
➔ As a grad student, learned “determinist” perspective on behavior
➔ Which means no free will, everything has a cause
➔ Found no relationship between brain myelination and learning ability
➔ Did the experiment on the birds
➔ Emphasis on external behavior and reaction to situations, rather than the internal mental
state
➔ Relationship between the environment and the response
➔ Only way to treat disorder is by changing behavior patterns
➔ “Little Albert” Experiment
“The Behaviorist Manifesto” by Watson
➔ Lets focus on actions, not words
Child-rearing: everything is built into a child through their interaction with their environment
➔ Parents control the child-rearing environment
Through conditioning, we can break fears
Through their interest and training, psychologists can take a variety of perspectives
➔ Neuroscience/Biological
➔ Cognitive
➔ Developmental
➔ Personality
➔ Social
➔ Cultural
➔ Clinical
➔ Counseling
➔ School
➔ Industrial/Organizational
Chapter 2: Research Methodology
Most people use 10% of their brain….false
Hypnosis is useful to recall memories or forgotten events….false
A polygraph test is an accurate way to measure dishonesty….false
➔ What's the proof?
➔ Where’s the evidence?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
➔ Where did it come from?
Why is it important to detect myths?
➔ Myths can be harmful
➔ Myths can cause indirect damage
➔ The acceptance of myths can impede our critical thinking in other areas
Scientific Method: systematic and objective approach to answer research questions
THEORY-->HYPOTHESIS-->RESEARCH-->SUPPORT THE THEORY OR FAIL
❏ A good hypothesis should be falsifiable (can be proved wrong) and parsimonious
(simple, straight forward)
Research designs differ in which the researcher has control over the variable
➔ Variable: something in the world that can vary and that a researcher can measure
➔ Researchers must define variables precisely via operational definitions
How do psychologists answer questions?
➔ Experiment: tests causal hypotheses by measuring and manipulating variables
➔ Descriptive studies: observe and note behavior objectively
● Case study
● Naturalistic
● Participant
➔ Correlational studies: examines how variables are naturally related in the real world
● Positive
● Medium positive
● No correlation
● Medium negative
● Negative
Problems with correlational studies
➔ Directionality problem: which variable caused changes in the other?
➔ Third variable problem: does another, unmeasured, variable cause the correlation
➔ Illusory correlation: perception of correlation when none exists
● Simson example
Experiment: tests causal hypothesis by measuring and manipulating variables
➔ Independent variable: manipulated
➔ Dependent variable: measured
If the IV consistently influences the DV, then the IV is assumed to CAUSE the DV
Experimental group: treatment groups
Control group: comparison groups
“Playing violent video games causes an increase in aggression”
Hypothesis: If a child plays a violent video for an hour, then they will be more likely to show
aggressive behaviors than a child who plays a non-violent video game
Aggression: showing anger or an outburst
IV: number or aggressive behaviors
DV: type of video game
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Groups should be equal on everything, except the IV
➔ Avoid selection bias
What if we can’t avoid selection bias?
➔ “True” experiment versus “quasi” experiment
● Quasi: kind of
Good research requires valid, reliable and accurate data
➔ Reliability: stability and consistency of a measure over time
➔ Validity: data must accurately measure the concepts we think they measure
Are our data valid? (have validity)
➔ Internal: the degree to which the observed effects are due to the IV and not confounds
➔ Construct: the extent to which variables measure what they’re suppose to measure
➔ External: the degree to which the findings can be generalized to other people, settings,
or situations
Replication involves repeating a study and getting the same (or similar results)
➔ When the results are the same, confidences increases in the findings
Chapter 3: Biology and Behaviors
Dementia is a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life
➔ Problems with memory, communication and language, ability to focus and pay attention,
reasoning and judgement, and visual perception
➔ Not part of normal aging
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia
➔ Symptoms worsen over time
Warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease
➔ Memory loss that disrupts daily life
➔ Challenges in planning or solving problems
➔ Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
➔ Confusion with time or place
➔ Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations
➔ New problems with words in speaking or in writing
➔ Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
➔ Decreased or poor judgement
➔ Withdrawal from work or social activities
➔ Changes in mood and personality
Alzheimer’s disease is a disease of the brain
➔ Characterized by plaques (deposits of protein fragment beta amyloid in the spaces
between cells) and tangles (buildup of tau protein inside cells)
★ Plaque: “gum” like substances that wraps around a neuron (outside)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
As a grad student, learned determinist perspective on behavior. Which means no free will, everything has a cause. Found no relationship between brain myelination and learning ability. Emphasis on external behavior and reaction to situations, rather than the internal mental. Relationship between the environment and the response. Only way to treat disorder is by changing behavior patterns. Child-rearing: everything is built into a child through their interaction with their environment. Through their interest and training, psychologists can take a variety of perspectives. Hypnosis is useful to recall memories or forgotten events . false. A polygraph test is an accurate way to measure dishonesty . false. The acceptance of myths can impede our critical thinking in other areas. Scientific method: systematic and objective approach to answer research questions. A good hypothesis should be falsifiable (can be proved wrong) and parsimonious (simple, straight forward) Research designs differ in which the researcher has control over the variable.
