Psychology Has Many Faces:Science, Academic Discipline, Healing

Profession

ClinicianResearcher

Teacher

Understand Research Methods

Behavioral Neuroscientist…

Behavior in relation to the Brain

Psychology

Strong Background in Research Methods!

Understanding Psych Research

Understanding ScienceResearch = Science

A scientist:

Finds intellectual excitement in creating questions and seeking

answers

Science: a process of inquiry

Basic Curiosity

“We Ask Questions of Science AndGet answers”

D.E. Moss

The process of formulating specific questions and then finding answers in order to better understanding

Psychology: the science of human & animal behavior

Goal: gather an organized body of knowledge

Psychological research seeks scientific explanation for behavior

1. Empirical: based on observable evidence

2. Testable: verifiable through direct observation

3. Rational: follow rules of logic, consistent with known facts (not based on assumptions known to be false)

Scientific explanations strive to be:

1. Parsimonious: offer the least complex explanation that requires the fewest assumptions

2. General: can be applied to more than the original set of circumstances – broad explanatory power

3. Tentative (Skepticism): readily replaced by better explanation

Occam’s Razor: “Do not multiply hypotheses unduly”

Choose the simplest explanation!!!!

Science is based on:

Empiricism:Collecting data

Rationalism:Formulating Question

Skepticism:Interpretation

of dataDecarte (thinking)• reasoning• rules of logic

Thales (observation)• careful observation of nature

Documentation - data

What is Science?

2. Collection of facts?

1. Technology?

3. Finished Product?

4. Objective search for the truth?

5. Immediate solutions to practical problems?

6. Grows continuously?

What is Science?

Technology: NO!

Immediate contribution to human welfare

Ex: The Genome Project

What is Science?

Just a Collection of Facts: NO!

Integration of data but also theory driven –

relating data to principles (theories)

What is Science?

Finished Product: NO!

One experiment inevitably leads to other questions…serendipity!

What is Science?

Search for the Truth: NO!Implies there is one right question for

every phenomena

What is Science?

Science Grows Continuously: NO!

Science grows awkwardly

One direction then another directionScience has a history of fads (style that interests many people for a short time)

Ex: Schools of Psychology

Structuralism: the study of the structure of conscious experience

(1832-1920)

50 years

moved psychological study from the domain of philosophy and the natural sciences and began to utilize physiological experimental techniques in the laboratory – SCIENCE

moved psychological study from the domain of just the “mind” to behavior influence of Darwin - animal researchapplied research (practical questions ie., education, training, developmental)

Functionalism: Consciousness as well as behavior must

serve some sort of purpose – the function of the mind

William James (1842-1910)“my thinking is first, last always for the

sake of doing”

Professor at HarvardTaught first class in experimental Psych

in US

50 years

Behaviorism:

All other schools to mentalistic and to subjective – not observable, not science

Focus is on relationship between the environment and behavior

John Watson (1878-1957)University of Chicago

Johns Hopkins

moved psychological away from the mind – only behavior transferred all mentalistic content into S-R: “we only think we think” animal research (Pavlov. Skinner) Against Freud!

60 years

No longer one school of Psychology

Biological Psychology

Cognitive Psychology Social Psychology

Clinical PsychologyNeuropsychology

Developmental Psychology

Assignment: Read Goodstein Article“How Science Works”

-take notes-answer question via group

discussion-present answers as a group in class

If you did not read, you will be asked to leave during discussion time