Class notes

Intro to Psychology Class Notes

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Course
350-102-RE (PSY101)

Institution
St. Lawrence College (SLC )

Book
Exploring Psychology in Modules

In a rush for a final exam revision? Doing research for your term paper? Don't search any further, all 15 weeks of most Intro to Psychology courses can be condensed into these few pages. Based on the course book "Exploring psychology in modules" you've got a (self-proclaimed) beautiful 45-page clas...

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Uploaded on January 1, 2023
Number of pages 46
Written in 2021/2022
Type Class notes
Professor(s) C.a. gauthier
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Notes psychology
January 30th

Scientific method

 Double check everything
 Hypothesis must be testable
 Operational definition – The procedure of the test
 Replication – If something was wrong, we change it (most of the time different than
original)
 Meta-analysis – gather studies & examine results

Case study: one at a time, in-depth, no groups so no generalization permitted

Descriptive method: Natural observation

Surveys -> sampling very important for representation (have a
representative survey)

Self report -> very subjective

February 2nd

Scienti fi c method (suite)

Descriptive methods – like taking a picture

Correlati on

Positive correlation: the two elements move in the same direction; may it be up or down (direct
relationship) > 0 +1.00

Ex: Someone who smokes a lot has a higher chance of having a mental illness, the opposite is
also true.

Negative correlation: one element increases as the other decreases (inverse relationship)

< 0 – 1.00

Ex: Number of hours spent playing video games and the grades of a person

,Correlation does not prove causation; it suggests a possible cause-effect relationship but does
not prove it

Experimentati on

Experimentation enables researchers to isolate the effect of one or more factors

 Manipulates the factor of interest to determine its effect
 Holds constant (controls) other factors

Groups

 The experimental group receives treatment, or at least something different than usual
 The control group does not receive treatment, it stays as usual

Ex: I want to know if cannabis causes grades to lower

Manipulation: cannabis

Group 1: cannabis every day \

----> Grades?

Group 2: no cannabis /

Random assignment equalizes the experimental and control groups (randomize the participants)

Placebo eff ect

Experimental results caused by expectations alone; any effect on behaviour caused by the
administration of an inert substance or condition, which the recipient assumes is an active agent

Variables

 The independent variable (the variable being manipulated) in an experiment is
manipulated; its effect is being studied
 The dependent variable (the variable being measured) is the outcome that is measured.
it may change when the independent variable is manipulated
 A confounding variable is a factor that might influence a study’s result but isn’t the main
focus of the study

,Predicti ng Everyday Behavior

Experiments test theoretical principles

The resulting principle, rather than any specific findings, help explain everyday behaviours

Psychological science focuses less on interpreting specific behaviours than on revealing general
principles that help explain many behaviours

Psychology’s Research Ethics

Protecting Animal Research Participants

Why study animals?

 To understand species differences and similarities and to investigate
treatment for human diseases
 To use in psychological, biological, and medical research

Is it right to place the well-being of humans above that of other animals?

 Protection guidelines

Protecting Human Research Participants

Ethics codes and guidelines

 Obtain participants’ informed consent
 Protect participants from greater-than-usual harm and discomfort; greater than in
day-to-day life, day-to-day life example: car accident footage
 Keep information about individual participants confidential
 Fully debrief people: Explain the research afterward, including any temporary
deception

Researcher’s Values

 Influence topic choices
 Color/Alter the facts of observations and interpretations
 May be hidden or unconscious

***Conflict of interest

February 7th
Tool of discovery: Having our head examined (Module 4)

,  New generation of neural mapmakers
o Selectively lesion and observe brain function
o Electrically, chemically, or magnetically stimulate brain parts and note the
effects
- Types of neural measures

EEG Measures electrical activity/action potential – Electroencephalogram
MEG Similar to EEG, but measures magnetic fields
PET Used in hospitals, similar to MRI, inject radioactive glucose, which is brought
to cells and blood goes to the more active cells, so in the scanner, we see
radioactive activity
MRI Like taking a picture, we do not see brain activity
fMRI Measuring an activity, f is for function as in “what parts of the brain are
active?”

February 9th
The nervous system (Module 3)

(CNS) Central nervous system: brain & spinal cord

- Decision maker

(PNS) Peripheral nervous system: all the rest

- Taking information back and forth

CNS

Brain

- Neural networks: Neuron work group clusters

Spinal cord (highway of the body)

- Two-way system of ascending and descending neural fibers

Terms to Learn

• Neuron • Cell body • Dendrite • Axon • Myelin sheath • Action potential (neural impulse)

Neuron: The whole cell

Cell body: life support center – making sure/keeping the cell stays alive

Dendrite: receives messages from the other cells (little hairs) (listen)

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