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Psychology as Science

Published on Nov 23, 2015

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Psychology as Science

Unit 1
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What good is Psychology 1.1

  • The science of Psychology is concerned with helping and improving people's lives.
  • Mass hysteria is an unusually dramatic example of how people do things that seem strange.
  • The science of psychology is dedicated to answering questions about why people think, feel, and act the way they do.
  • The broad range questions is psychology are addressed by a broad range point of views. These are called perspectives, or way of seeing and questioning.
  • Humanistic and positive psychology, cognitive-behavioral psychology, behavioral psychology, biopsychology, developmental psychology, and social psychology are all perspectives within psychology.
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Correlation versus Causation 1.2

  • Correlation and Causation are two things that are related (for example, the sun comes up and the ground gets warmer).
  • Positive, negative, and weak correlations are often misunderstood.
  • Sometimes there is situations where there is non correlation. Other times correlation provide examples of possible hidden variables.
  • To prove causation, you must do an experiment in which you make changes in a variable to see what happens. For example, experiments have proven that exericse reduces depression.
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Observational studies 1.3

  • Observational studies is a study that observes the world without trying to change anything.
  • An observational study has its own version of a prime directive, which is to try and learn how people really act, without a scientist's influence.
  • Many observational studies use a survey. These are a type of observational study based on asking people questions. For a survey to be accurate, it must interview a sample of people that represents the whole population.
  • Do think lazy people need to get jobs so they don't have to collect government assistance? This is an example of a biased survey question.
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Experiments 1.4

  • The term psychological experiment can bring to mind many scary images. For instance, experiments have shown the best ways to help people relax and to improve their relationship.
  • Like observational studies, experiments are designed around variables. Experiments have two types of variables. The independent variable is controlled directly by the researcher. The dependent is not directly controlled.
  • All research institutions, along with all agencies and organizations that grant funding for research, require that experiment designs be reviewed by a panel of experts in science and ethics before allowing the study to proceed. The panels are usually called the Institutional Review Board, or IRB.
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