1 - Science of Psychology Part 2 and 3

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
PROFESSIONALS
Psychologist
a professional with an academic degree and specialized training
in one or more areas of psychology
Clinical: assessment, diagnosis, treatment of people with
psychological disorder
Counseling: dealing with family, marriage problems, etc.
Teaching and research
Developmental: adolescent and kids
PROFESSIONALS
Psychologist
Social: how the individual and society affect each other, social
interactions, relationships, attractions
Personality: traits and characteristics of individuals
School: guidance counselors
Industrial/Organizational Psychology: for organizations,
companies, HR, motivate employees
Forensic: psychology with law and criminal behavior
Sports: improving the performance of athletes
PROFESSIONALS
Psychiatrist
a medical doctor who has specialized in the diagnosis and
treatment of psychological disorders
can prescribe medication
Psychiatric Social Worker
a social worker with some training in therapy methods who
focuses on the environmental conditions that can have an impact
on mental disorders, such as poverty, overcrowding, stress, and
drug abuse
PSYCHOLOGY AND THE
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Scientific Method
system of gathering data so that bias and
error in measurement are reduced
to accomplish the 4 goals of psychology
PSYCHOLOGY AND THE
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Steps in the Scientific Method:
1. Perceive the question.
2. Form a hypothesis: tentative explanation of a
phenomenon based on observations.
3. Test the hypothesis.
4. Draw conclusions.
5. Report your results so that others can try to replicate, or
repeat, the study or experiment to see whether the same
results will be obtained in an effort to demonstrate
reliability of results.
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Naturalistic Observation
watching animals or humans behave in their
normal environment
Major Advantage
realistic picture of behavior
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Disadvantages
observer effect: tendency of people or animals to
behave differently from normal when they know
they are being observed
participant observation: a naturalistic observation
in which the observer becomes a participant in
the group being observed (to reduce observer
effect)
time consuming sometimes
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Disadvantages
observer bias: tendency of observers to see
what they expect to see
blind observers: people who do not know
what the research question is (to reduce
observer bias)
Each naturalistic setting is unique, and
observations may not hold.
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Laboratory Observation
watching animals or humans behave in a
laboratory setting
Advantages
control over environment
allows use of specialized equipment
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Disadvantage
artificial situation that may result in artificial
behavior
Descriptive methods lead to the formation

of testable hypotheses.
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
LO 1.8 Case Studies and Surveys
Case Study
study of one individual in great detail
Advantage
tremendous amount of detail
Disadvantage
cannot apply to others
Famous Case Study
Phineas Gage
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Surveys LO 1.8 Case Studies and Surveys
Researchers will ask a series of questions about the

topic under study.
Given to a representative sample: randomly
selected sample of subjects from a larger
population of subjects
Population
the entire group of people or animals in which the
researcher is interested
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
LO 1.8 Case Studies and Surveys
Advantages
data from large numbers of people
study covert behaviors
Disadvantage
People are not always accurate (courtesy
bias).
Courtesy bias- socially correct answers
DESCRIPTIVE METHODS
Random Sampling from Population
POPULATION
INFERENCE SAMPLE
FINDING RELATIONSHIPS
LO 1.9 Correlational Technique
Correlation
a measure of the relationship between two
variables
Variable: anything that can change or vary
(e.g., attitude, scores on a test, etc.)
LO 1.9 Correlational Technique
Correlation
Measures of two variables go into a mathematical formula
and produce a correlation coefficient (r), which represents
two things:
the direction of the relationship( +/- or the signs in the r
score)
the strength of the relationship (number in the r score)
Knowing the value of one variable allows researchers to
predict the value of the other variable.
The correlation coefficient ranges from

-1.00 to +1.00.
The closer to +1.00 or -1.00, the stronger
the relationship between the variables.
no correlation = 0.0
perfect correlation = -1.00 or +1.00
.0 = no correlation
.01 to .39 = weak
.40 to .59 = moderate
.60 to .79 = strong
.80 to .99 = very strong
1.0 = perfect correlation
Positive correlation (+): variables are related in the same
direction
As one increases, the other increases; as one decreases, the
other decreases.
Negative correlation (-): variables are related in opposite

direction
As one increases, the other decreases.
Correlation does not prove causation!

Trends! Patterns!
(exercise and scatter plots)

THE EXPERIMENT
Experiment LO 1.10 Experimental Approach and Terms
a deliberate manipulation of a variable to see

whether corresponding changes in behavior result,
allowing the determination of cause-and-effect
relationships
Operational Definition
definition of a variable of interest that allows it to be
directly measured
definition: aggressive play
THE EXPERIMENT
Independent Variable (IV)
the variable in an experiment that is manipulated by
the experimenter
IV: violent TV
Dependent Variable (DV)
the variable in an experiment that represents the
measurable response or behavior of the subjects in
the experiment
DV: aggressive play
IV: watching
DV: aggressive
violent TV
play
shows/ cartoon
THE EXPERIMENT
LO 1.10 Experimental Approach and Terms
Experimental Group
subjects in an experiment who are subjected to the
independent variable
experimental group: watch TV
Control Group
Subjects in an experiment who are not subjected to
the independent variable
control group: no TV
THE EXPERIMENT
Random Assignment
the process of assigning subjects to the
experimental or control groups randomly, so
that each subject has an equal chance of
being in either group
controls for confounding (extraneous,
interfering) variables
THE EXPERIMENT
Random Assignment
Experimental Group
SAMPLE Test for Differences
Control Group
THE EXPERIMENT
Confounding Variables
Experimental Group
Are differences due to manipulation

SAMPLE or confounding variable (mood)?
Control Group
THE EXPERIMENT
No Confounding Variables
Experimental Group
Differences are due to manipulation,

SAMPLE not an extraneous variable, because
mood is randomly determined.
Control Group
SUMMARY
- We use different perspectives to understand human behavior
and mental processes.
- Psychology applies scientific method to attain its four goals.
- There are a lot of professions to choose from in Psychology.
- There are different methods you can use to examine, explore
your answers to research questions.
- Correlation has either a positive or negative direction and it
does not prove causation.
- In an experiment, you manipulate a variable (IV) in order to
predict and see its effect on the dependent variable (DV).

1 - Science of Psychology Part 2 and 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 - Science of Psychology Part 2 and 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

1 - Science of Psychology Part 2 and 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL

Descriptive methods lead to the formation

Researchers will ask a series of questions about the

The correlation coefficient ranges from

Negative correlation (-): variables are related in opposite

Correlation does not prove causation!

(exercise and scatter plots)

a deliberate manipulation of a variable to see

SAMPLE Test for Differences

Are differences due to manipulation

Differences are due to manipulation,

You might also like