1. Chapter 1
Critically Thinking with Psychology

2. What is Psychology?
• What is psychology?
– The scientific study of behavior & mental
processes
• Science: making verifiable, objective
predictions
• Behavior: observable acts
• Mental Processes: storing, recalling, using
info/feelings

3. Understand Addiction

4. Understand Psychological Disorders

5. Understand Violence & Abuse

6. Understand Behavior

7. Question Behavior

8. Perspectives
Consider the question:
Why are women and men different?
How this question is answered depends upon
the perspective from which it is being studied.

9. Neuroscience Perspective
• How are their brains different?
• Does women's thicker corpus callosum
influence this?
• Are men biologically less able to control their
impulses?

10. Evolutionary Perspective
• What is the survival function of the
differences?
• Does women's nurturance contribute to their
babies' survival?
• Does men's aggression contribute to their
survival and/or reproduction?

11. Behavior Genetics Perspective
• Are the differences genetically determined, for
example in twin research?
• Or do they vary depending on the
environment in which people are raised?

12. Psychodynamic Perspective
• Do men and women have different
unconscious motivations?

13. Behavioral Perspective
• What rewards and punishments result from
the behavior?
• Are men rewarded for living up to a "macho"
image?
• Are women rewarded for acting "feminine"
instead of assertive?

14. Theory
A Theory is an explanation that integrates
principles and organizes and predicts
behavior or events.
For example, low self-esteem contributes to
depression.
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15. Cognitive Perspective
• What do people think? Do they stereotype
women and men?
• Is an assertive woman considered
unfeminine?
• Is a sensitive man considered weak?

16. Social-cultural perspective
• How do cultural roles influence all this?
• Is women's role as a mother responsible for
her behavior?
• Does the expectation than men will earn more
money lead to their greater privileges?

17. Research
• Good scientific research depends on critical
thinking.
• Identification and evaluation of evidence to
guide decision making.
• Appropriate, plausible, ethical, well informed,
credible.

18. Hypothesis
A Hypothesis is a testable prediction, often
prompted by a theory, to enable us to
accept, reject or revise the theory.
People with low self-esteem are apt to feel
more depressed.
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19. Description
Case Study
A technique in which one person is studied in
depth to reveal underlying behavioral principles.
Susan Kuklin/ Photo Researchers
Is language uniquely human?
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20. Survey
A technique for ascertaining the self-reported
attitudes, opinions or behaviors of people
usually done by questioning a representative,
random sample of people.
http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org
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21. Survey
Random Sampling
If each member of a
population has an equal
chance of inclusion into a
sample, it is called a
random sample
(unbiased). If the survey
sample is biased, its
results are not valid. The fastest way to know about the
marble color ratio is to blindly
transfer a few into a smaller jar and
count them.
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22. Naturalistic Observation
Observing and recording the behavior of animals in the
wild and recording self-seating patterns in a multiracial
school lunch room constitute naturalistic observation.
Courtesy of Gilda Morelli
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23. Correlation
When one trait or behavior accompanies
another, we say the two correlate.
Indicates strength
of relationship
(0.00 to 1.00)
Correlation
coefficient r = + 0.37
Correlation Coefficient is a
statistical measure of the Indicates direction
relationship between two variables. of relationship
(positive or negative)
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24. Illusory Correlation
The perception of a relationship where no relationship
actually exists. Parents conceive children after adoption.
Conceive Do not conceive
Confirming Disconfirming
Adopt
evidence evidence
Michael Newman Jr./ Photo Edit
Do not Disconfirming Confirming
adopt evidence evidence
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25. Exploring Cause & Effect
Many factors influence our behavior. Experiments
(1) manipulate factors that interest us, while other
factors are kept under (2) control.
Effects generated by manipulated factors isolate
cause and effect relationships.
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26. Experimentation
Exploring Cause and Effect
Like other sciences, experimentation is the
backbone of psychology research. Experiments
isolate causes and their effects.
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27. Independent Variable
An Independent Variable is a factor manipulated
by the experimenter. The effect of the independent
variable is the focus of the study.
For example, when examining the effects of breast
feeding upon intelligence, breast feeding is the
independent variable.
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28. Dependent Variable
A Dependent Variable is a factor that may change
in response to an independent variable. In
psychology, it is usually a behavior or a mental
process.
For example, in our study on the effect of breast
feeding upon intelligence, intelligence is the
dependent variable.
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29. Evaluating Therapies
Double-blind Procedure
In evaluating drug therapies, patients and
experimenter’s assistants should remain
unaware of which patients had the real
treatment and which patients had the placebo
treatment.
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30. Comparison
Below is a comparison of different research
methods.
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31. Ethics in Research
• Voluntary Participation
• Informed Consent
• Confidentiality
• Anonymity
• Right to Service
• Institutional Review Board

32. Milgram Study