Psychology
Unit 1: Foundations and Research

• Attendance
• Fire Drill Procedures
• Medical Team/Crisis Response Team
• Bathroom Sign-out
• Syllabus
• Assign Books
• Questions
First Day of Class
EQ: What are the expectations/requirements
of this course?

Unit 1 Overview
• PPS 1.1-Define psychology as a discipline and identify its goals as a
science
• PPS 1.2-Describe the emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline
• PPS-1.3-Describe perspectives employed to understand behavior and
mental processes
• PPS-1.4-Explain how psychology evolved as a scientific discipline
• RMS 1.1: Describe the scientific method and its role in psychology
• RMS 1.2: Describe and compare a variety of quantitative and
qualitative research methods
• RMS 2.1: Identify ethical standards psychologist must address regarding
research with human participants.
Unit EQ:
How have philosophical perspectives and theoretical approaches
shaped the development of psychology?
You will need to be able to “Do” the following:

• Psychology is a social science that studies mental
processing and behavior
• Psychology employs several different major theoretical
perspectives and/or subfields
• Psychologists use several approaches to conducting
research, all sociologists follow a seven step research
process, and psychologists are bound by ethical guidelines.
You will need to be able to “Understand” the
following:

Unit 1 Outline
Concept 1: The Discipline of Psychology
Concept 2: Foundations and Perspectives
Concept 3: Modern Perspectives
Concept 4: Conducting Psychological Research
Lesson: 1 2 3
Concept 5: Ethics

Activator:
1. Steps of the Scientific Method

Foundations and Perspectives
EQ: How have philosophical perspectives and
theoretical approaches shaped the development of
psychology?
Vocabulary
• Structuralism
• Functionalism
• Gestalt
• Charles Darwin
• Sigmund Freud
• Carl Rogers
• Wilhelm Wundt
• William James
• John Watson
• B.F. Skinner
• Psychoanalytic Perspective
• Behavioral (Learning)
Perspective
• Biological Perspective
• Humanistic Perspective
• Sociocultural Perspective

Activator:
1. What role do scientific methods
play in psychology?
2. Steps of the Scientific Method

Foundations and Perspectives
EQ: How have philosophical perspectives and theoretical
approaches shaped the development of psychology?
Vocabulary
• Structuralism
• Functionalism
• Gestalt
• Charles Darwin
• Sigmund Freud
• Carl Rogers
• Wilhelm Wundt
• William James
• John Watson
• B.F. Skinner
• Psychoanalytic Perspective
• Behavioral (Learning)
Perspective
• Biological Perspective
• Humanistic Perspective
• Sociocultural Perspective

Foundational Perspectives
Using textbook pg. 18-19, summarize the beliefs of each of
the following perspectives.
Structuralism Functionalism

Structuralism
• Wilhelm Wundt
• Focused on the basic elements of consciousness
• “What are the elements of psychological
processes?”
• Broke consciousness down (Human Mind)
• Objective sensations
• Accurately reflect outside world
• Subjective sensations
• Included emotional experiences
• Introspection: a person carefully examines and
reports their own experiences

Functionalism
• William James
• Stated conscious experience can’t be broken
down
• Focused on how mental processes help
organisms adapt to their environment
• “What is the purpose of behavior and process?”
• Used introspection and observation
• Evolution

Key Contributors to Psychology
Name Key Contributions
Charles Darwin
Wilhelm Wundt
William James
Sigmund Freud
John B. Watson
B.F. Skinner
Carl Rogers
Kenneth & Miriam
Clark

Modern Psychological Perspectives
Psychoanalytic
Gestalt
Learning
(Behaviorist/Social Learning)
Cognitive
Biological
Humanistic
Sociocultural
Evolutionary
Biopsychosocial
Summarize the key aspects of each perspective. When applicable,
identify which Key Contributors are associated with a perspective.

Gestalt
• Wertheimer, Koffka, and Kohler
• Context influences people’s interpretation of
information.
• Our perceptions are more than the sum of its
parts.
• We see things a wholes
• They reject the structuralist perspectives.
• Examine pg. 20

Conducting Psychological Research
Vocabulary
• scientific method
• Dependent variable
• Independent variable
• Experimental group
• Control group
• Double-blind study
• Confounding variable
• Placebo
EQ: How do psychologists use a variety of scientific research
methods to draw reasonable conclusions?
• RMS 1.1: Describe the scientific method and its role in
psychology
• RMS 1.2: Describe and compare a variety of quantitative
and qualitative research methods

Activator:
1. Steps of the Scientific Method

1. Question
• Research questions are best
focused on behavior rather than
constructs that cannot be seen or
measured directly.
2. Hypothesis
• Form a hypothesis about the
answer to the research question.
• A hypothesis is an educated guess.
3. Testing the Hypothesis
• A hypothesis cannot be considered
to be correct until it has been
scientifically tested and proved to
be right..
• May use a variety of research
methods to test a hypothesis.
4. Analyzing the Results
• What do their findings mean?
• Psychologists often look for
patterns and relationships in the
data.
5. Drawing Conclusions
• Psychologists draw conclusions about their research question and their
hypothesis.
• When observations do not support a hypothesis, they often must change the
theories or beliefs from which the hypothesis was derived.

Bystander
Effect
And
Diffusion of
Responsibility
Kitty
Genovese

Assignment: Experiment Creation
• Create a testable thesis
• Your group should then design an experiment that could be
used to test the phenomenon of diffusion of responsibility
(bystander effect).
• Include as many details as possible.
• Be prepared to share out.

• Psychologists use the experimental method to answer
questions about cause and effect.
• Independent and Dependent Variables
• Experiments have variables, which are factors that can
vary, or change.
• The independent variable is the factor that researchers
manipulate.
• The dependent variable is the factor whose value
depends on a change made to the independent variable.
Variables

Adderall Experiment Exercise 1
Hypothesis: If a person diagnosed with Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) is given 20mg of Adderall then his/her focus
time will increase.
Formative Assessment: Using all the hypothesis above,
identify the independent variable (IV) and dependent variable
(DV). Write your answer on a sheet of paper.
IVDV

Assignment: Terms
Read: The Experimental Method and
Single- and Double-Blind Study on
pages 52-54.
Define the terms using the Advanced
Organizer (Note Sheet)

Variables
• Confounding Variables
• Hidden variables that distort the association being
studied
Questions:
1. In the Bystander Effect study or the Adderall Study, what
might be some of the confounding variables?
2. What does the phrase “the power of suggestion” mean?

Blind Studies
Double-Blind Studies
• Participants and researchers are unaware of who receives the treatment.
• Double-blind studies help researchers avoid the influence of expectations
and remain unbiased.
Single-Blind Studies
• Participants unaware of the treatment.
• Helps to avoid The Placebo Effect
– A placebo is a substance or treatment that has no effect apart from a
person’s belief in its effect.
– Feeling better simply because we expect to feel better—and for no
other reason—is an example of the placebo effect.

Groups
• Experimental and Control
Groups
– Members of an
experimental group
receive the treatment;
members of a control
group do not.
– All other conditions are
held constant for both
the experimental group
and the control group.
– A controlled experiment
uses both a control group
and an experiment
group.

Adderall Experiment Exercise 2
Hypothesis: If a person diagnosed with Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) is given 20mg of Adderall then his/her focus
time will increase.
Formative Assessment : Using all terms on the vocabulary
sheet, design and label and experiment that tests the above
hypothesis

Adderall Experiment Exercise 2
Vocabulary Application to the Experiment
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Control Group
Experimental
Group
Placebo
Single-Blind Study
Double-Blind Study
20mg of Adderall
Groups that receives the Placebo not the Adderall
Group that receives the Adderall
False pill to make up for the power of suggestion
Researcher knows who took the Adderall/Subject Doesn’t
Neither Researcher or Subject knows who took Adderall
Ability to Focus

Summarizing Activity
5 Steps of the Scientific Method, 2 Variables,
and Questions Remaining

Finding Evidence: What do you think?
(Read Textbook pg. 32-33. Answer questions and identify
where you found the evidence for your answer)
• What flaws did the Hawthorne study have, and how did
these flaws affect the study’s outcome?
• What is the Hawthorne effect, and why do some people
question its existence?
Classwork/Homework Assignment

ConductingPsychologicalResearch:Flawsand
ConfoundingVariables
Vocabulary
• Case Study
• Psychological Tests
• Longitudinal method
• Cross-Sectional Method
EQ: How do psychologists use a variety of scientific
research methods to draw reasonable conclusions?
Activator: What are confounding variables? What are some
examples discussed yesterday?
• Survey Method
• Naturalistic Observation
• Interviews
• Hawthorne Effect

What do you think?
(Read Textbook pg. 32-33)
• What flaws did the Hawthorne study have, and how did
these flaws affect the study’s outcome?
• What is the Hawthorne effect, and why do some people
question its existence?

• The tendency of research
subjects to change their
behavior as a result of their
awareness of being observed.
• It was named for a 1927
workplace study.
The Hawthorne Effect
Case Study: Learning from a Flawed Experiment
• Was not a blind study
• Did not have a control group
• Small Sample Size
• Results of the study may have
been misinterpreted
Flaws in the Hawthorne Study

ParticipatoryLearning– FlawedExperiment
1. Hypothesis: “Smart” people tend to be more open-minded
and flexible.
2. Subjects: To test the hypothesis above, the experimenter
asks a wide variety of friends to complete a puzzle that
requires flexibility. Then he or she compares their scores.
3. Procedure: The experimenter tries to test the hypothesis
above on his friends, but they are too busy. Instead, he or
she uses strangers. The experimenter administers a brief
intelligence test, then gives subjects a test of flexibility. In the
morning he or she finds a group in the cafeteria and passes
out the tests to them. In the afternoon, the experimenter
finds people in the library who are studying by themselves.
Pick out the flaws in the following statement.

Flaws & Confounding Variables
• Confounding Variables
• Hidden variables that distort the association being
studied
Examples:
1. “Power of Suggestion” --- Single-blind study
2. Researcher Bias --- Double-blind study

Samples
• Ensure samples accurately represent the population.
• Random Sample
• individuals are selected by chance from the target
population.
• Stratified Sample
• consists of subgroups in the population that are represented
proportionally.
• A large random sample is more likely to be accurately
stratified even if researchers take no steps to ensure that it is.

Volunteer Bias
• When conducting surveys, bias may occur on the part of the
respondents.
• Bias is a predisposition to a certain point of view
• Volunteer bias: People who volunteer to participate in studies
may have a different outlook from people who do not volunteer.
– Volunteers are usually more willing to disclose personal
information.
– They may have more spare time to participate.
– Volunteers probably do not represent the target population.

Critical Thinking Activity
Experimental
Group
Control
Group
Average Score
(Mean)
81% 67%
Highest Score 89% 87%
Lowest Score 73% 34%
Median Score
(Mid-Point)
79% 77%
Complete Methods of Psychology: Critical
Thinking Activity worksheet in your packet.

How can a scientific
mistake lead to a
scientific truth?

Data

ConductingPsychologicalResearch:MethodsandData
Vocabulary
• Quantitative
• Qualitative
• Naturalistic Observation
• Interviews
• Case Study
• Psychological Tests
• Longitudinal method
• Cross-Sectional Method
• Survey Method
EQ: How do psychologists use a variety of scientific
research methods to draw reasonable conclusions?
Activator: Remember the Methods of Research

Psychological Methods

Psychological Methods

Psychological Methods

One method psychologists use to analyze and interpret their
observations is correlation. Correlation is a measure of how closely
one thing is related to another. The stronger the correlation between
two things, the more closely the two things are related.
• Positive correlation occurs
when an increase in one thing
is accompanied by an increase
in the other.
• Negative correlation occurs
when a increase in one thing is
accompanied by a decrease in
the other. (or vice versa)
Positive and Negative
Correlation
Analyzing the Observations
• Correlation describes
relationships, but it does not
reveal cause and effect.
• Just because two things are
related does not necessarily
mean that one causes the other.
Limits of Correlation

Correlation: Scatterplot

Standard Deviation: IQ

Assignment: Frankenstein and Ethics
• In your packet, read Ethics in
Experimentation: Frankenstein and
Complete Questions 1, 3-5
• REMINDER: UNIT 1 Exam is Wednesday
STUDY!!!

APA Ethical Guidelines
for Human Research
• Informed Consent - participants must know that they are involved in
research and give their consent or permission
• Deception - if the participants are deceived in any way about the nature of
the study, the deception must not be so extreme as to invalidate the
informed consent.
• Coercion - participants cannot be coerced in any way to give consent to be
in the study.
• Anonymity-the identities and actions of participants must not be revealed
in any way by the researcher.
• Risk-participants cannot be placed at significant mental or physical risk.
This clause requires interpretation by the review board.
• Debriefing Procedures -participants must be told of the purpose of the
study and provided with ways to contact the researchers about the results.

Unit 1 Exam Topics
• Definition of Psychology
• Applied vs. Research Psychologist
• Historical Figures/Contributions
• Psychological Perspectives
• Experimentation (Terms and Application)
• Data (Correlation)
• Methods of Research
• Ethics