Transcript Welcome to Psychology 350 Research Lab in Personality Psychology web page: http://www.yourpersonality.net/psych350/fall2009/ Why is Psychology One of the Most Popular Majors? • Of all the.

Welcome to Psychology 350
Research Lab in Personality Psychology
web page:
http://www.yourpersonality.net/psych350/fall2009/
Why is Psychology One of the Most Popular
Majors?
• Of all the disciplines that exist, psychology is one
of the few that is explicitly concerned with
understanding the way people behave, feel, and
think.
Why is Psychology One of the Most Popular
Majors?
• Many of the themes that have characterized
intellectual inquiry over the years are studied by
psychologists
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free will and determinism
mind and matter
nature and nurture
love and loss
relationships and emotion
personality (growth and disorder)
What Makes Psychology Different?
• So, what is special about psychology, as opposed
to the study of philosophy, literature, or history?
• The critical difference is that modern psychology
is based on the scientific method.
Psychology
the methods
of psychology
the themes of
psychology
Philosophy &
Humanities
Natural Science
Psychology, like the humanities, is
concerned with fundamental issues
concerning human experience.
However, psychologists use the methods
of the natural sciences to better
understand psychological phenomena.
Why Does this Matter?
• Why do we need the scientific method in order to
study the human mind?
• The methods we tend to use are subject to severe
limitations—some of which we will review in our
next class.
Personality
• Although the study of psychology focuses on big
issues, such as development, mental functioning,
and social behavior, the discipline of psychology
is rather dissociated.
• Students tend to receive training in specific areas
of psychology.
• Students focusing on some areas (e.g.,
psychobiology) may receive little if any training in
other areas (e.g., social).
Personality
• In my view, personality psychology is the one
subdiscipline within psychology that is actually
concerned with the issues that originally motivated
the scientific study of psychology.
• The science of personality is concerned with
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The development of people
The way in which people differ from one another
The way the mind works
The way in which people shape, and are shaped, by their cultural and
social contexts.
• Thus, in this course we will be focusing on a wide
array of methodological techniques.
Class Objectives
• The objectives of this course are
– to illustrate some of the limitations of non-scientific
approaches to understanding personality
– to teach you how to use the scientific method as it
applies to the psychology of personality
– to foster your ability to think critically about
psychological research (as well as other information)
– to give you a ton of first-hand experience in conducting
psychological research
Overview of Syllabus
• Class web site
– http://www.yourpersonality.net/psych350/fall2009/
– Future updates and changes will be reflected in the
online version of the syllabus.
• Grading
– Quizzes are worth 10% of final grade, papers are worth
70%, and discussion section activities and attendance
are worth 20%.
Important Notes
• The lab sections will be meeting in room 37 of the
Psychology Department.
• Marie Heffernan | Psyc 350 39820 - MWF 9:00 10:50 Silke McCance | Psyc 350 39822 - MWF
3:00 - 4:50