PSYC 101: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

The Science of Psychology: Chap 1

Note: This material is found in Chapters 1 & 2 of the new downloadable textbook. Don’t focus on
chapter numbers in your book—let the Outline tell you page numbers in the book that you will
need. We will go by the chapter numbers of the Outlines, Powerpoints, & Lectures.

I. What is Psychology? (p. 6)

Psychology

A. The History of Psychology (p.8)

1. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
objective introspection (the text refers to this as simply ‘introspection’)
2. Edward Titchener (1867-1927) (he is described better in the lecture, so make sure you listen
to it)
Structuralism
3. William James (1842-1910)
Functionalism
Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and natural selection
4. Gestalt Psychology (p.11)

II. Applying Psychology to Careers

A. Careers in Psychology (p. 26) [Again…remember that it is vital to listen to the lecture]
1. Psychiatrist
Medical degree (M.D.)
2. Psychoanalyst
[M.D].; Ph.D. (doctorate of Philosophy); or Psy.D. (doctorate of Psychology
3. Psychologist-- Ph.D. or Psy.D.
a. Applied work with clients
b. Academic settings or Research

Subfields of Psychology:
Need Read about each of the different Psychology subfields below on pgs. 17-25 of the text book.
the This material is not covered in the lectures, but it is fair game for quizzes and tests. You must
book review your text book for this information.
for this
Know the focus of each subfield. Be able to describe each of these various subfields of
section
Psychology in a sentence or two. You don’t need to know people’s names or specific experiments
in this section, just the overall focus of the subfields below.
1. Biopsychology and Evolutionary Psychology
2. Cognitive Psychology
3. Developmental Psychology
4. Personality Psychology
5. Social Psychology
6. Industrial-Organizational Psychology
7. Health Psychology
8. Sport and Exercise Psychology
9. Clinical Psychology
10. Forensic Psychology
1
 4. Psychiatric Social Worker [course lecture will cover this section well]
M.S.W.-Masters of Social Work
L.S.W.- Licensed Social Worker
5. Counselor-- Masters in counseling or related field [course lecture will cover this
well]

B. With a Bachelor’s Degree or an Associate’s Degree [course lecture will cover this well]

III. Psychology: The Science

A. The Scientific Method
You are responsible for reading about the Scientific Method in your text (pgs. 38-41). We won’t be
covering this material in lecture. It is fair game for quizzes and tests.
1. Consult Theory
Need 2. Use that theory to form a Hypothesis
the hypothesis
book 3. Conduct Research to Test the hypothesis
for this
falsifiable
section
4. Make Observations and Draw Conclusions
5. (Use your results to) Create or Modify the Theory

B. Approaches to Research / Methods used in Collecting Data

You are responsible for the information under Approaches to Research about the various
ways to collect data in your text (pgs. 42-48). We won’t cover this material in lecture, but it is fair
game for quizzes and tests. Know all terms below.
1. Clinical or Case Studies
Need 2. Naturalistic Observation
the Observer bias
book 3. Surveys
for this sample
section population
4. Archival Research
5. Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Research
longitudinal research
cross-sectional research

C. The Importance of Appropriate Measurement (p. 59) [lecture will cover this well]
1. Reliability
2. Validity

D. Analyzing Findings [Course lecture will cover this section in depth]

Variables: Things that vary. E.g.: age, sex, mood, test scores, etc.
1. Correlational Research (p. 49)
Correlation
Correlation Coefficient [definition, symbol used, range, etc.]
a. Strength
b. Direction
1. Positive correlation

2
 2. Negative correlation
c. Correlation vs. Causation (p. 50)
It is important to know that just because two variables are correlated, it does not mean that one
‘caused’ the other.

2. Causality—Conducting Experiments (p. 52)

Experiment
a. Types of Variables (p. 55)
1. Independent variable (IV)
2. Dependent Variable (DV)
b. Subject Groups
1. Experimental Group (p. 53)
2. Control Group
c. Random assignment (p. 56)
d. Potential problems with experiments
1. Placebo Effect (p. 54)
placebo
single-blind study
2. Experimenter Effect
double-blind study