Class notes
Intro Psychology Notes
- Course
- Institution
Summary of all 54 Modules covered. Includes physiological psych elements, mental disorders, sex, psychological theories, and a lot more.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
ryleethibodeau
Content preview
Intro psychModule 1
Scientific Attitude- curiosity, humilty, skeptism
modern definitions of pyschology
mental processes- internal, subjective experience inferred from behvaiour
pyschology- science of behaviour and mental processes
behaviour-any action that can be observed or recorded (3 categories)
1. overt actions and emotional expressions
2. self report via talking/writing/questionnaires
3. physiological
~there is no direct measurement of the mind~
Science requires:
1. empirical approach: using evidence based methods of observation and experimentation
2. scientific attitude: curiosity, humility, skeptism
critical thinking:
1. discarding
our understanding of pyschology emerges from the 3 levels of analysis
1. biological influence
natural selection of adaptive traits
History of psychology
until dec 1879, most philosophers believed that self knowledge is only gained from
careful introspection
william wundt added two key elements to enhance the scientific nature of
Important people
Edward Titchener
, aimed to classify and understand elements of the minds structure (structuralism)
self reflective introspection (looking inward)
observed people reporting elements of their experiences as they touched, tasted, or
smelled
how did their experiences relate?
his method failed because he wanted to create a period
William James
went beyond labelling inward thoughts and feelings by considering their evolved
functions (functionalism)
why do we smell? why does the brain do these things?
assumed that thinking developed because it was adaptive, helped our ancestors survive
explored consciousness
Willhelm Wundt
sought to measure atoms of the mind
how fast the brain can process things
was a part in developing the first psychology lab in 1879 in Germany
John B. Watson
dismissed introspection and redefined pysch as the scientific study of observable
behaviour
B. F. Skinner
Charles Darwin
published on the origin of species by means of natural selection in 1859
explored how physical and psycological traits can be passed on to descendents
natural selection
John Locke
argued that the mind is a blank slate and that knowledge is accumulated through
experience
Rene Descartes
argued that some ideas are innate, and passed on through generations
Types of Pyschology
,Humanistic
emphasizes human growth and our need for love and acceptance
Freudian
emphasizes the way our unconscious minds and childhood experiences affect our
behaviour
module 2
Three common flaws in common sense thinking
Hindsight bias-when two separate view points both seem like common sense. after seeing results,
the obvious answer becomes clear in hindsight. known as the “i knew it all along phenomenon”
The scientific method
observation
question
theory-possible explanations
hypothesis-a testable prediction derived from the theory
experiment-a test of the hypothesis: contains an independent variable and a control
data
conclusion
the process
1. observe an interesting problem or behaviour
2. form initial theory
3. construct hypothesis
4. test hypothesis
5. if results support hypothesis→ theory is strengthened; if results don’t support
hypothesis→ revise theory and restart process
6. try to replicate results
7. if results can be replicated→ theory is established; if results cannot be replicated→
theory is rejected. form new theory and restart process
Research strategies
as a check on their own biases, researchers will use operational definitions when
conducting an experiments
bigger sample of people→ a bigger change of replication
descriptive methods-describe behaviours, often through case studies or surveys
correlational methods-associate different factors and asses how they predict eachother
experimental methods-manipulate factors to discover their effects
, positive correlation: two sets of scores rise and fall together (height and weight)
negative correlation: one set of scores falls while the other rises (frequency of teeth
brushing and tooth decay)
in class notes
correlation symbol-r
a variable- any trait or characteristic that can have different value or scores (height,
weight, gpa)
r=a number measuring the strength of the relationship
when you have a correlation, youre asking if the variables are related in any way
if they are related, then they co-vary
if there is a strong correlation, you can prediction one variable by knowing the other eg.
the taller the heavier, however there are exceptions, and exceptions make the relationship
weaker
values range from -1.00 to 1.00
correlation has two properties
strength-the size of the number-positives and negatives don't matter
if the correlation is weak if its close to zero
direction-regardless of strength, scores of two variables can vary together (positive
correlation) or inversely (negative correlation)
1.00 is a perfect positive-as one event increases, the second one exactly increases
.5 is a positive-as one event increases, the second sometimes increases
0 means there is no correlation between the two events
correlation does not reveal causation-regardless of strength of relationship
module 3
intuition isnt always right
case studies do not allow for replication
statistics are tools that help us see and interpret what we otherwise might not notice
statistical reasoning in everyday life
describing data
once data is gathered, researchers use descriptive statistics
eg. converting into graphs
measures of central tendency
a single score that summarizes a whole set of scores
mode- the most frequently occuring score or scores
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ryleethibodeau. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $7.56. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
56326 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now