Transcript EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Experimental Psychology
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Special
Areas in Psychology
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Experimental
Clinical
Counseling
School
Emotional
Developmental
Personality
Social
• Environmental
• Industrial/
Organizational
• Health
• Consumer
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Experimental Psychology
• Research on
learning, cognition,
sensation,
perception
• Biological basis of
both human and
animal behavior
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Clinical Psychologists
• They treat people
with psychological
problems like
depression and
schizophrenia
• They administer
tests, counsel, and
conduct research
• Psychiatrists
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Counseling Psychologists
• They help people
clarify their goals
and make life
decisions
• The school setting
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Educational Psychologists
• They study issues
relating to the
measurement of
intelligence and the
processes involved in
educational and
academic achievement
• They usually work in
schools and conduct
research
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Developmental Psychologists
• They focus on
processes that
influence social,
cognitive, and
physical growth, as
well as personality
development
• They study both
“nature” and
“nurture”
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Personality Psychologists
• They study the
psychological
characteristics and
behavior that
distinguishes us as
individuals
• They examine
personality traits
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Social Psychologists
• They study how
specific groups or
society in general can
influence individual
behavior and outlook
• Research focuses on
attitudes, prejudice,
conformity, obedience
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Environmental Psychologists
• They study
relationships
between
psychological
factors and physical
health
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Industrial/
Organizational Psychologists
• They study
people’s behavior
at work or school
• Conduct research
in academic/work
settings
• Human factors
research
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Health Psychologists
• They focus on the
relationship
between
psychological
factors and physical
health
• How to quit
smoking, avoiding
risky sexual
behavior
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Consumer Psychologists
• They study why
people purchase
particular products
and brands
• They examine
consumer attitudes
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Early Researchers
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Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920)
• He used
introspection as a
research technique
• Wundt’s lab
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Edward Titchener (1867–1927)
• Structuralism (an early
school of psychology)
• The mind is structured
by breaking down
mental experiences
into their components
• G. Stanley Hall,
American
Psychological
Association
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William James and
Functionalism
• The school of
psychology that
focuses on the
adaptive functions
of behavior
• The study of why
we do what we do
• The influence of
Darwin
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John Watson
• Behaviorism—the
study of overt behavior
• He rejected
introspection
• Psychology should
become a science of
behavior
• Environment molds the
behavior of us all
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B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
• Behaviorism gets a
boost from Skinner
• Behavior is shaped
by rewards and
punishment
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Gestalt Psychology
• Max Wertheimer
• Gestalt studies the
ways in which the
brain organizes and
structures our
perceptions
• The whole is
greater than the
sum of its parts
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Sigmund Freud
• The unconscious
mind
• We do and say
things without
understanding our
motives
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The Empirical Approach
• A method of developing
knowledge based on
gathering evidence,
performing
experiments, or careful
observation
• Psychologists need to
distinguish between
inference and
observation
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The Scientific Method
• A framework for acquiring knowledge
through observation and
experimentation (4 steps)
— Come up with a question
— Develop a hypothesis
— Gather evidence
— Draw conclusions
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Research Questions
• Sources used:
observation, previous
experiences, beliefs
• Questions eventually
become hypotheses
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The Hypothesis
• A precise prediction
about the outcome
of an experiment
• Example: Is there a
relationship
between reckless
driving and gender?
• Dependent vs.
independent
variables
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Gathering Evidence
• Develop a research design or strategy
to provide a scientific test of the
hypothesis
• The type of research used depends on
what a researcher wants to try to
measure
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Drawing Conclusions About The
Hypothesis
• Conclusions about the hypothesis are
based on the evidence collected
• Statistics
• Replication
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Selecting a Sample
• Random sampling
• The sample needs
to be representative
• Generalize or
transfer
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Stratified Samples
• Selecting
individuals from a
larger group
based on age,
sex, ethnicity, etc.
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Research Methods
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The case study method
The survey method
The naturalistic observation method
The experimental method
The longitudinal method
The cross sectional method
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The Case Study Method
• An in-depth study of
one or more individuals
• Information collected
from interviews,
observation, written
records, artwork
• The work of Jean
Piaget
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The Artwork of Mental Patients
•Using artwork as a research tool
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Jose de Goya: Self Portrait
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The Stabbing
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William Blake: “Satan Comes To
The Gates Of Hell”
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Self-Portraits: Joanne
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Franz Messerschmidt
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Schizophrenic Boy
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Lonnie
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Vincent Van Gogh
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Review
• If you were a psychologist, what general
observations could you make about the
artwork of mental patients?
• How are colors important in the psychology
of art? Remembering the drawings made by
Joanne. Explain how her progression of selfportraits reflects her psychological
improvement.
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The Survey Method
• Uses structured
interviews or
questionnaires to
gather information
about groups of
people
• Disadvantages
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Common Uses of and Concerns
about the Survey Method
• Anonymity: Subjects may open up
more than in other situations
• Studies about mental health or
consumer satisfaction
• Social desirability bias and volunteer
bias
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Naturalistic
Observation Method
• Based on careful
observation of
behavior in natural
settings without
interfering
• What researchers
have learned using
this technique
• Problems
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Longitudinal Studies
• The same person or
group of persons are
studied at regular
intervals over a period
of time
• Used to determine
whether people’s
behavior/feelings have
changed
• An example
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Cross-Sectional Studies
• Data is collected from
groups of participants of
different ages
• Data is compared,
conclusions are drawn
• Advantages,
disadvantages
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Correlations and Explanations
• Correlations: the
measure of a
relationship between
two variables or sets of
data
• Positive correlations
between high IQ and
good grades
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Correlations vs.
Cause and Effect
• A correlation describes a relationship
between two things; it does not mean
that one causes the other
• There may be a third factor involved
with positive correlations
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Correlation Types
• Correlation
coefficient: a
statistical measure
of association
between variables;
it can vary from
-1.00 to +1.00
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Benefits of a
Correlational Method
• It offers clues to underlying causes of
behavior
• It can identify people at risk for physical or
behavioral problems
• It can increase understanding of
relationships between variables or events
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The Experimental Method
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The Experimental Method
• Independent variables: factors
manipulated in an experiment
• Dependent variables: the effects or
outcomes of an experiment that are
believed to be dependent on the values
of the independent variables
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Application
Look at the following photographs and
decide which subjects you consider
most attractive
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Gertrude
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Kristen
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Ethel
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Christine
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Maude
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Prudence
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Matilda
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Sheri
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Megan
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Gladys
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Evaluation
• Does the popularity of a woman’s
name affect judgment of their physical
attractiveness?
• The independent variable: type of
name
• The dependent variable: ratings of
attractiveness
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Control Groups
• Groups of
participants in a
research
experiment who do
not receive the
experimental
treatment or
intervention
• Placebo effects
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Single-Blind Experiments
• Keeping subjects
uninformed
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Double-blind
• Both the subject
and the
experimenter are
kept uninformed
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Ethics In Research
• Stanley
Schachter’s 1959
study on anxiety
and affiliation
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Ethics in Research (cont.)
• How would you
have felt if you were
one of the subjects
in the high-anxiety
group?
• Should researchers
be allowed to
misrepresent their
research?
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Deception
• Deception has been fairly common in
psychological research since the
1960s, especially in the area of social
psychology
• Deception is used to reduce problems
associated with the placebo effect
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Animal Research
• Do the laws of
behavior apply to
both humans and
animals?
• Animals are
sometimes exposed
to treatments that
would be
“unthinkable” to
perform on humans
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Guidelines for Ethical Research
• Participation is voluntary
• No exposure to harmful procedures
• If deception is used, a full explanation should follow
the session
• Privacy should not be violated
• Harmful procedures imposed on animals must not
be allowed
• Approval from host institutions is necessary
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