INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

1. TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PSYCHOLOGY, TRY ANSWERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. Infants love their mothers primarily because their mothers fulfill their basic biological needs,
such as providing food. TRUE or FALSE? ___________
2. Geniuses generally have poor social adjustment. TRUE or FALSE? _____________
3. The best way to ensure that a desired behaviour will continue after training is completed is to
reward that behaviour in every single time it occurs during training rather than rewarding it only
periodically. TRUE or FASLE? _________________
4. People with schizophrenia have at least two distinct personalities. TRUE or FALSE? __________
5. Parents should do everything they can to ensure children have high self-esteem and a strong
sense that they are highly competent. TRUE or FALSE? _________
6. Children’s IQ scores have little to do with how well they do in school. TRUE or FALSE? _________
7. Frequent masturbation can lead to mental illness. TRUE or FALSE? ___________
8. Once people reach old age, their leisure activities change radically. TRUE or FALSE? _______
9. People who talk about suicide are unlikely to actually try to kill themselves. TRUE or FALSE?
_________
10.Most people would refuse to give painful electric shocks to other people. TRUE or FALSE?
_________

2. SCORING : The truth about each of these items : THEY ARE ALL FALSE.
Based on psychological research, each of these “FACTS” has been proven
UNTRUE. You will learn the reason why as we explore what psychologist
have discovered about human behaviour.

3. INTRODUCTION OF
PSYCHOLOGY
Essentials in Understanding Psychology
PSYCHO 111

4. PSYCHOLOGY
GREEK WORD :
PSYCHE >>>SOUL
LOGOS >>> REASON OR STUDY
Study of the Soul

5. PSYCHOLOGY
SOUL
not as the spiritual entity but simply
that aspect of human person that
animates the body

7. PSYCHOLOGY IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF
BEHAVIOR
MENTAL PROCESSES, ENCOMPASSING NOT
JUST WHAT PEOPLE DO BUT THEIR
BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES, FEELINGS,
PERCEPTIONS, MEMORY, REASONING, AND
THOUGHTS.

9. THE 5 GOALS OF PSYCHOLOGY
1. OBSERVE - Watch a person’s behavior
2. DESCRIPTION - classification of psychological data into meaningful categories or groupings either
qualitatively on the basis of similarities or qualities they have in common, or quantitatively on the
basis of a variable characteristics that can be measured.
3. UNDERSTANDING – tries to explain and interpret facts about behavior in terms of general principles
which can be applied for some practical purpose.
- Give the reason for the behavior
4. PREDICTION – this is not the ability to predict future events based on supernatural gift, rather,
scientific prediction is based on understanding of relationships between conditions and situations.
- determine how a person will behave / respond on previous O.D.U.
5. CONTROL – change the behavior or mental process by teaching the patient ways of
coping / keeping anxiety under control

12. MAJOR SUBFIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY :
1. BEHAVIORAL GENETICS - Studies the inheritance of traits related to behavior
2. BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE - examines the biological basis of behavior
3. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY – deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological
disorders.
4. CLINICAL NEUROPSYCHOLOGY – unites the areas of biopsychology and clinical psychology,
focusing on the relationship between biological factors and psychological disorders.
5. COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY – focuses on the study of higher mental processes.
6. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY – focuses primarily on educational, social and career adjustment
problems.
7. CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY – investigates the similarities and differences in psychological
functioning in and across various cultures and ethnic groups.
8. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – examines how people grow and change from the moment of
conception through death.
9. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - is concerned with teaching and learning processes, such as the
relationship between motivation and school performance
10.ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – considers the relationship between people and their physical
environment

13. 11. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY – considers how behavior is influenced by our genetic inheritance from our
ancestors.
12. EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about
the world.
13. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY - focuses on legal issues, such as determining the accuracy of witness memories.
14. HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY - explores the relationship between psychological factors and physical ailments or
disease.
15. INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY – is concerned with the psychology of the workplace.
16. PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY – focuses on the consistency in people’s behavior overtime and the traits that
differentiate one person from another.
17. PROGRAM EVALUATION - focuses on assessing large-scale programs, such as the Head Start preschool
program, to determine whether they are effective in meeting their goals.
18. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN – focuses on the issues such as discrimination against women and the causes of
violence against women.
19. SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY – is devoted to counseling children in elementary and secondary schools who have
academic or emotional problems.
20. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY – is the study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others.
21. SPORT PSYCHOLOGY - applies psychology to athletic activity and exercise

14. THE EDUCATION OF A PSYCHOLOGIST
How do people become PSYCHOLOGISTS?
 Doctorate ( PhD (doctor of Philosophy) PsyD (doctor of psychology)
PhD – is a research degree that requires a dissertation based on original investigation
PsyD – is obtained by psychologists who wish to focus on the treatment of psychological
disorders.
NOTE:
Psychologist are distinct from Psychiatrists , who are physicians who specialize
in the treatment of psychological disorders.
 Both take 4-5 years of work past the bachelor’s level.

16. 3 Major Roles Played by Psychologists in society : teacher , scientist, and clinical practitioner

17. The breakdown of where US psychologists ( who have a PhD or PsyD degree) work .
Why do you think so many psychologists work in college and university settings?

23. Historical Beginnings of PSCHOLOGY :
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
A. Psychology started as part of PHILIOSOPHY
 ( Greek Philosophers has the interests in the study of behaviour, although the methods they used
used were not scientific. Being Philosophers they used ASSUMPTIONS without verifying their
assumption against reality, but they, nevertheless, contributed much to the interests in
understanding human behaviour which formed the basis of scientific inquiry.
 ARISTOTLE : based his conclusions concerning the mental health of man on observation and
experience.
During Middle Ages, instead of observation Aristotle suggested DEDUCTIVE REASONING
 FRANCIS BACON (English Philosopher, 19600) using OBJECTIVE FACTS
 1600 the term PSCHOLOGY made its first recorded appearance in the ENGLSH Language
 Sir Francis Galton – who FATHERED MENTAL TESTS and the study of INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
 Charles Darwin – by establishing the continuity between man and the lower animals
THEORY OF EVOLUTION ( made study of comparative psychology is important)

24. ERNEST WEBER
GUSTAV FECHNER (Germany) first to apply the experimental method
HERMAN von HELMHOLTZ to the subject matter of Psychology
WILHELM WUNDT
WEBER -

25. RESEARCH METHODS IN
PSYCHOLOGY

26. “
”
ONE OF THE MAJOR UNDERTAKINGS FOR THE
FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY IS TO DEVELOP
SUPPOSITIONS ABOUT THE BEHAVIOR AND TO
DETERMINE WHICH OF THOSE SUPPOSITIONS
ARE ACCURATE

27. RESEARCH - SYSTEMATIC INQUIRY AIMED AT THE DISCOVERY OF NEW KNOWLEDGE –
-is a central ingredient of the scientific method in psychology. It provides the key
understanding the degree to which hypotheses (and theories behind them) are accurate.

28. SCIENTIFIC METHOD – THE APPROACH THROUGH
WHICH PSYCHOLOGISTS SYSTEMATICALLY ACQUIRE
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT
BEHAVIOR AND OTHER PHENOMENA OF INTERESTS.
THEORIES – broad explanation and predictions concerning phenomena of
interests

29. Characteristics of a Scientific Methods:
1. It is OBJECTIVE
2. It uses explicit procedures
3. It makes a meaningful interpretation of what has been observed
4. Research report is made of the investigation
OBJECTIVITY – the scientific method means its freedom from bias and prejudice.
The investigator does not allow his wishes or desires to influence his findings or his
interpretation of his findings. He reports what he actually observes.
EXPLICIT PROCEDURES – the investigator describes in detail, step by step, the procedures
he followed in his investigation so that other investigators who wish to verify his findings
will find it easy to duplicate his study or to make a similar one.
REPORT – in research work is usually published by scientific investigators to disseminate their findings
so that these findings can be tested and verified by other investigators. It contains a description of
the methods used by the investigator, the results of the investigation, the interpretation of the
results, and the conclusions.

30. IDENTIFY QUESTIONS OF
INTEREST STEMMING FROM
• Behavior and phenomena
requiring explanation
• Prior research findings
• Curiosity, creativity, insight
FORMULATE AN
EXPLANATION
 Specify a Theory
 Develop a hypothesis
CARRYING OUT RESEARCH
 Devise an operational
definition of the hypothesis
 Select a research method
 Collect the data
 Analyze the Data
Communicate
the
FINDINGS c

31. HYPOTHESIS - A PREDICTION, STEMMING FROM A THEORY, STATED IN A WAY THAT
ALLOWS IT TO BE TESTED. Hypothesis stem from theories; they help test the underlying
soundness of theories.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITION – THE TRASLATION OF A HYPOTHESIS INTO SPECIFIC ,
TESTABLE THAT CAN BE MEASURED AND OBSERVED.

32. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
A. DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH(5) – designed to systematically
investigate a person, group, or patterns of behavior. These methods
include the following:
1. ARCHIVAL RESEARCH - research in which existing data, such as
census documents, college records, and newspaper clippings, are
examined to test a hypothesis .
 inexpensive means of testing a hypothesis because some
one else has already collected the basic data.
 Records with the necessary information often do not exist.
DISADVANTAGES

33. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
2. NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION – research in which an
investigator simply observes some naturally occurring
behavior and does not make a change in the situation.
 the researcher simply records what occurs,
making no modification in the situation that is
being observed.
 ADVANTAGE: we get sample of what people do in
their “NATURAL HABITAT”
 DISADVANTAGE: the INABILITY TO CONTROL ANY
OF THE FACTORS OF INTERESTS.
“SCIENTIFIC SNOOPING”
 The subject are not aware that they are
being observed.
 caution should be taken by investigators
that they are not influenced by their own
biases when they report their observations.

34. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
3. SURVEY RESEARCH - research in which people chosen to represent a larger population are
asked a series of questions about their behavior, thoughts, or attitudes.
Potential PITFALLS: if the sample of people who are surveyed is not representative of the
broader population of interest, the results of the survey will have a little meaning.

35. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
SURVEY METHOD ( TOOLS)
QUESTIONNAIRE – set of questions dealing with a single topic or
a set of related topics to be answered by the subject or respondents.
-it used to measure opinion(opinion poll), interests or problems.
- it also carries a record of biographical information about the
subject.
INTERVIEW – face to face conversation with the purpose of
obtaining actual information for assessing the individuals personality, or for
counselling. SHORTCOMINGS: its course may be influenced by the
interviewer’s opinion and prejudices. To avoid this, the interview should be
STURCTURED or Directive (specific questions are asked by the investigator
and the subject’s answer are recorded.)

36. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
4. CASE STUDY – an in-depth, intensive investigation
of an individual or small group of people.
Scientifically written biographies done sometimes for
the purpose of :
1) testing some theories
2) Getting the background of an individual as a basis
for making recommendations about him.
CASE STUDIES often include PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING,
a procedure in which carefully designed set of questions
questions is use to gain some insight into the
personality of the individual or group.
THE GOAL: not only to learn about the few individuals
being examined but also to use the insights gained
from the study to improve our understanding of
people in general.
INTERVIEW :
TOOL- a face to face conversation with
Purpose of obtaining factual information

37. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
 Prospective approach or diary of development- the
case history is developed as the individual grows up
 Retrospective – the case history is reconstructed by
interviewing people who know the subject (
Significant others) , and what happened to him in hi
earlier life. This method is subject to inaccuracies but
the data obtained through it may become the basis
of more precise studies in the future.

38. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
5. CORRELATIONAL RESEARCH – a research conducted to assess the relationship among two or
more variables. A variable can be defined as any factor that is being studied and measured.
VARIABLES : are behaviors, events, or other characteristics that can change, or vary, in some way.
Example : a researcher who wants to see if MARRIAGE has a negative correlation with CANCER,
meaning that People who are married are LESS LIKELY to develop cancer throughout their lives
than those who remain single.

39. Correlation Study Advantages Correlation Study Disadvantages
May predict causal relationships
(productive)
There is no cause and effect
May predict human behaviors No inferences be found by results
(no conclusions)
Can be more cost-effective Possibility of the third variable
problem/ compounding factor
Methodology and statistical
analysis may be easier to
implement

40. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
B. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
“ THE ONLY WAY PSYCHOLOGISTS CAN ESTABLISH CAUSE-AND-EFFECT RELATIONSHIPS
THROUGH RESEARCH IS BY CARRYING OUT AN EXPERIMENT”.
EXPERIMENT – the investigation of the relationship
between two (or more) variables by deliberately
producing a change in one variable in a situation and
observing the effects of that change on other aspects of
the situation. The change that the researcher /
experimenter deliberately produces a situation or
makes in an experiment is called experimental
manipulation.

41. POSSIBLE CAUSE POTENTIAL RESULT
Choosing to watch HIGH VIEWER AGGRESSION
television programs with
High aggressive content
Unusually high energy level High viewer aggression
Choosing to watch television
programs with high aggressive
content
MOBILE/ONLINE GAMES ADDICTION increasing number of dropouts
laziness
lack of interest
Poor parental Guidance teenage pregnancy
neglected/ abused children
broken family

42. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH / METHODS :
EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: the variable that is
manipulated by an experimenter.
The variable whose outcome the
experimenter/researcher IS INTERSETED IN
INVESTIGATING
(ex. Behaviors, events and other characteristics)
DEPENDENT VARIABLE : the variable that is
measured and is expected to change as a result
of changes caused by the experimenter’s
manipulation of the independent variable.
Outcome of Independent Variable.
(responses of subjects or respondents that are
measurable)

43. OTHERS:
CLINICAL METHOD
this method studies human behavior
by reconstructing the life
history of the individual .
 to accomplish this, it combines a variety
of techniques, including diagnostic
observations, interviews, questionnaires, tests
and projective techniques.
REPLICATED RESEARCH
research that is repeated, sometimes
using other procedures, settings, and
and groups of participants, to
increase confidence in prior findings

44. RESEARCH METHOD DESCRIPTION ADVANTAGES SHORTCOMINGS
Descriptive and Correlational
Research
Researcher observes a previously
existing situation but does not make
a change in the situation
Offers insight into relationships
between variables
Cannot determine causality
Archival Research Examines existing data to confirm
hypothesis
Ease of data collection already exist Dependent on availability of data
Naturalistic
Observation
Observation of naturally occurring
behavior, without making a change
in the situation
Provides a sample of people in their
natural environment
Can not control the “natural habitat”
being observed
Survey Research A sample is chosen to represent a
larger population and asked a series
of questions
A small sample can be used to infer
attitudes and behavior of a larger
population
Sample may not be representative
of the larger population;
participants may not provide
accurate responses to survey
questions
Case Study Intensive investigation of an
individual or small group
Provides a thorough, in depth
understanding of participants
Results may not be generalizable
beyond the sample
Experimental Research Investigator produces a change in
one variable to observe the effects
of that change on other variables
Experiments offer the only way to
determine cause-and-effect
relationships
To be valid, experiments require random
assignment of participants to conditions,
well-conceptualized independent and
dependent variables, and other careful
controls