What is psychological science
study of the mind, brain, and behavior using empirical and systematic methods
scientific method
reduce personal bias, produce reliable replicable results, conclusions based on evidence
3 main levels of analysis
biology-genetics, brain structures, neurotransmitters, hormones
psychological-thoughts, feelings, perceptions, learning, memory
social/cultural-presence of others, cultural norms, social context
basic vs. applied research
basic- increase fundamental knowledge provides theories
applied- solve real world problems uses theories
testing vs. spacing effect
testing- learning improves when you quiz yourself
spacing- learning improves when you spread it out over time
schools of thought
focused on behavior:
behaviorism- observable behavior
learning theories- conditioning, reinforcement
focused on mind:
cognitive- thoughts, memory, perception
psychoanalysis- unconscious mind
humanistic- personal meaning, growth
Biases
hindsight- I knew it all along
confirmation bias- seeking info that fits beliefs
overconfidence
seeing pattern in randomness
descriptive research
purpose: describes behavior
methods: case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys
limitation: cannot predict or explain cause
correlation research
purpose: identify relationships between variables
limitation: cannot determine causation
experimental research
purpose: determine cause and effect
has: manipulation of IV, random assignment, control groups
third variable vs. directionality problem
third variable: hidden outside factor may be affecting both variables
Directionality: we don’t know which variable causes which
