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PSY 1000
Introduction to Psychology
Psychology’s Roots
Early History
 Trephining : chipping a
hole in a patient's skull.
Evil sprits could then escape!
Wilhelm Wundt
Established the first experimental laboratory devoted to
psychology.
Structuralism
 Focused on the basic building blocks of perception,
consciousness, thinking, and emotions
 - Introspection
Psychology’s Roots
 Functionalism
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Moved from structure to the role behaviour plays in
allowing people to adapt to their environments
 William James
 Gestalt Psychology
“the whole is different from the sum of its parts”
 Ebbinghaus
Gestalt psychology
Activity
Schools of Thought Worksheet
Psychology as a science
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Psychology uses the scientific method to find
answers to our questions
What is a theory?
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List some famous theories
Theory of Relativity (E=mc2) - Einstein
Evolutionary Theory – Darwin
Theory of Gravity – Newton
Quantum Mechanics
Big Bang Theory
Structural Theory – Wundt
Functional Theory – James
Gestalt Theory – Kohler
Behavioural Theory – Skinner
Psychoanalytic Theory – Freud
Humanistic Theory – Maslow
Cognitive Theory – Piaget, Bandura (CANADIAN!)
What is a Theory?
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A principle or set of rules that are created to explain
why and how events occur
Organizes facts
 Guides research
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A theory needs to be falsifiable
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This means that can be tested and rejected if the theory
does not stand true
Remember that a theory is not a certainty… it cannot
be completely proven or disproven
To create a theory, we need to do
research!
Types of research
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There are two ways to conduct research: basic and
applied
Basic research investigates topics to seek new
knowledge and to explore general science and
understanding
Applied research solves practical problems; focused
on influencing behaviours
Research methods
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Descriptive Research Methods:
 Naturalistic
observation
 Laboratory observation
 Case study
 Survey
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Experimental Method
Correlational Method
Psychological Tests
Descriptive research methods
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Naturalistic Observation: the researcher observes and
records behaviours in a natural setting; participants may or
may not know they are being observed
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Laboratory Observation: the researcher observes and
records behaviours in a controlled environment; participants
usually know they are being observed
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Observation in a play area
Case Study: an in-depth study, usually long-term, of a
participant using observation, interviews, or psychological
testing
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Researcher watching students play at recess
The study of Genie – “feral girl”
Survey: interviews or questionnaires used to gather
information about behaviours, beliefs, etc
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Stress questionnaires
Experimental method
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Using manipulation of variables (independent and
dependent), and random assignment of participants
into groups; results are measured
 Independent
variable: The variable that is manipulated
by an experimenter
 Dependent variable: The variable that is measured and
is expected to change as a result of the IV
 A psychologist wants to determine whether caffeine has
an effect on grades. He gives the experimental group
of students coffee and the control group receives no
coffee, he then gives both groups of students a test.
What is the DV? IV?
Correlational method
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Determines whether a relationship exists between
two variables (events, characteristics, behaviours)
Does not rule causation
Can have a strong, weak, positive or negative
relationship
Psychological tests
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Tests which are taken by participants that can
measure certain variables (intelligence, stress level,
personality traits, aptitudes, etc)
Activity – Research Methods
Worksheet
Avoiding Experimental Bloopers
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Experimenter Bias
Experimenter Expectations
Participant Expectations
Experimenter Bias
Thought experiment
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You are a College Professor conducting research on
the effects of caffeine on your dreams. You have a
limited budget to conduct this study. What research
method would you choose? Why?
Thought experiment con’t
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After you have decided which research method to
use, who will you be conducting your research on?
Who will be your participants? Remember you want
to be able to generalize your findings to the
general public and you have limited funds.
Participants in research
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In a perfect world, participants should be a group
of people that represent the general population –
they should represent different races, religions,
genders, ages, opinions, SES, etc. (Unless the study
calls for specific participants)
However, many variables limit this (funding,
availability, etc.)
So where do we get our participants?
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Participants are usually college/university students
who are encouraged to participate in the study by
their Professors
There is usually a payment for participation or the
student will receive a bonus mark in the course
There tends to be an over-representation of males,
and Caucasians
What can we do to make our study
generalizable?
Animal studies
Animal studies… bittersweet
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Animal studies have been very useful in
psychological studies
The use of animals have allowed psychologists to
understand and develop vital theories
Today, animal rights are protected by the Canadian
Code of Ethics for Psychologists and the Canadian
Council on Animal Care
However, it has not always been this way…
Ethics
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To protect the rights of both humans and animals
ethical standards must be in place
Studies must be approved by an ethics committee,
using the guidelines provided by the Canadian
Psychological Association
It is very important that these guidelines are
followed as people have different views on what
they deem as ethical behaviour