Psychology10: Introduction to Psychology
Professor Halford H. Fairchild
Lecture Notes for August 31, 2006
Introduction to the Science of Psychology
Housekeeping: Books
Preamble: Results of Person Perception Exercise
Definitions
Psychology is more than the study of behavior
It is more than the study of mental processes
It is concerned with more than human mentation and behavior
It is also application
Therefore, according to Fairchild, “Psychology is the scientific study of mental and behavioral processes of human and infrahuman organisms, and the application of knowledge toward the resolution of personal and social problems.”
According to the text, “Psychology is the science that seeks to understand behavior and mental processes, and to apply that understanding in the service of human welfare.”
Subfields of Psychology (mentioned in text)
Cognitive
Biological
Personality
Developmental
Quantitative
Clinical, counseling and community
Educational
School
Social
Industrial/Organizational
Health
Forensic
Engineering
Environmental
Subfields of Psychology (not mentioned in text)
African American
Asian American & Pacific Islander
Latino/Latina and/or Hispanic
Native American
International
Peace
Social Issues
Physically Challenged
Gay and Lesbian
History of Psychology: click here
Approaches to the Science of Psychology
Biological
Evolutionary
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive
Humanistic
Human Diversity and Psychology
“…about 17 percent of new doctoral degrees in psychology are being earned by members of ethnic minority groups…”
BUT: Everyone is a member of an ethnic minority group;
BUT: If you accept the ethno-cultural bias in the above statement, then so-called ethnic-minority groups are grotesquely under-represented in psychology. Why?
Research Methods: click here
Naturalistic Observation
Case Studies
Surveys
(e.g.,
attitudes toward
Key terms (sample, population, questionnaires & surveys, sampling)
Correlational problems
Experiments & Cause & Effect
Key terms: independent variable (cause), dependent variable (effect), control group, experimental group, random assignment, experimenter bias…
Statistical Analysis: click here
Definition: A statistic is a number, derived from a formula, that describes a set of number or the relationships among two more more sets of numbers.
Descriptive Statistics (mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation)
Inferential Statistics (relating numbers to each other, for example: )
The correlation coefficient
Linkages: Psychological Research and Behavioral Genetics
The Nature/Nurture Controversy