Psychology 101:
General Psychology
Preliminary Remarks
- Introductions
- Course Requirements (http://www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/courses/psy101)
- Exams
- Thought Papers
- Pop Quizzes
- Grading
- Laboratory Requirement
- Instructions on using the website are available at, http://www.psy.vanderbilt.edu/faculty/chun/experimetrix.pdf
- Honor System
More Preliminary Remarks
- Syllabus & Class Notes
- Study Strategies
- Manners
What is Psychology?
Definition
- Psychology is the scientific study
of behavior and mental processes.
Scientific Method
- Observe
- Look for regularities
- Generate tentative explanations ("hypotheses")
- Observe again (to test hypotheses)
Behavior
- Overt actions
- Thoughts and feelings expressed orally or
in writing
- Activities of cells and groups of cells in
the brain
- Behavior is what is observed
Mental Processes
- Contents and processes of subjective experience
- Sensations, perceptions, thoughts, emotions
- Unobservable
Psychology as a Science
- Psychology as a Natural Science
- Psychologists attempt to understand the laws that govern
and the mechanisms that produce human behavior.
- Psychology as a Social Science
- Psychologists attempt to understand how the behavior of individuals
affects and is affected by the behavior of others.
Areas of Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive science
- Developmental psychology
- Social psychology
- Personality
- Quantitative
- Clinical psychology
Psychological Sciences at Vanderbilt
- Department of Psychology, A&S
- Department of Psychology & Human Development, Peabody
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine
- Vanderbilt Vision Research Center
- Kennedy Center for the Study of Human Development, Peabody
- Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience
Isn't psychology all obvious?
"Two of the best
predictors of happi-ness in a relationship are how you feel about
your partner and how your partner feels about you."
What research tells us:
- Feelings about partner are not a good predictor
unless you take into account your expectations.
- How your partner really feels is not crucial;
what matters is how you think your partner feels.
- The connection between how you think your
partner feels and how your partner really feels about you is
not very strong.
Psychology as a Science
Characteristics of Scientific Findings
- Verifiable: There must be some way for other investigators
to confirm findings.
- Cumulative: New ideas build on old ones.
- Public: Findings are published in scientific journals or
books; they are exposed to the critical eyes of colleagues.
- Parsimonious: "It is vain to do with more what can be
done with fewer" (William of Occam, c. 1285-1349).
Psychology as a Science
Misconceptions about Science
- Science is always correct.
- (cf. phlogiston, subvocal speech)
- Science is always conducted by an idealized
method.
- (cf., Fleming & penicillin)
- Science is completely objective.
- (cf. Garcia effect)
- Science is about facts, not theories.
Summary
- Psychology is the scientific study of behavior
and mental processes.
- The domains of investigation in psychology
range from biological processes to social processes.
- Like other scientists, psychologists prize
data and theories that are verifiable, cumulative, public, and
parsimonious.
- The primary goals of psychological science
are description and explanation.