Debunking Common Myths in Psychology: Truths and Misconceptions Unveiled

1. AP Psychology Unit 1 Notes

2. With your partner, decide if the following are true or false: • Most people only use about 10% of their brains. • People with schizophrenia have more than one personality. • All effective therapies require clients get to the root of their problems in childhood. • All people with dyslexia see words backwards. • Drinking coffee is a good way to sober up after drinking. • Memories of everything we’ve experienced are stored permanently in our brains, even if we can’t access them. • The more people present in an emergency, the more likely it is that at least one of them will help. • Newborn babies are virtually blind. • If you are unsure of your answer on a test, it’s best to stick with your original answer. • People tend to be romantically attracted to people with opposite to their own personalities.

3. Science of Psychology • Think Critically: reflect and evaluate evidence • Using Scientific principles • Skepticism: Question other’s results • Leads to replication • Objectivity: See things as they are, not as we want. • Learn to accept results that do not support your theory. • Curiosity: Why are things the way they are? • Leads to experimentation

4. Psychology Social Level • The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior • Spans multiple levels of analysis Behavioral Level Mental Level Neurological/Physiological Level Neurochemical Level Molecular Level

5. Example: Depression Lack of social support Social Level Less engagement in + activities Behavioral Level Negative cognitions about self Mental Level Differential amygdala activation Neurological/Physiological Level Reduced serotonin in synapse Neurochemical Level Genes that predispose Molecular Level

6. Pseudo-Science • A claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status

9. Growth of psychology

10. Psychology’s Roots Are in Philosophy Prescientific Psychology • Do you have a soul? • Is the mind connected to the body or distinct? • Are ideas inborn or is the mind a blank slate filled by experience?

11. Psychology’s Roots • Psychological Science Is Born • Empiricism – • Knowledge comes from experience via the senses • Science flourishes through observation and experiment

12. Psychology’s Roots • Wilhelm Wundt opened the first psychology laboratory at the University of Liepzig (c. 1879) • Wundt’s significance? • By insisting on measurement and experimentation he moves Psych from Philosophy to Science

13. Psychology’s Roots • Bradford Titchener • Emulates the analysis of compounds by looking at atoms • Structuralism used introspection (looking in) to explore the elemental structure of the human mind

14. Psychology’s Roots • Structuralism – • School of psychology that stressed the basic units of experience (physical sensation, feelings, and memories) and the combinations in which they occur. • Study these ‘atoms of experience’ to get the structure of the mind

15. Psychology’s Roots • William James • Rejects Structuralism • Influenced by Darwin • Functionalism –theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to function in its enviroment.

16. The Growth of Psychology • Sigmund Freud: Psychodynamic psychology • Behavior results from forces at work within the individual, often at an unconscious level • Sexual and aggressive drives • Late 1800s • Lasting Impact of the field • Hard to prove or disprove scientifically

17. Return to the observable in the early 1900s • John B. Watson: Behaviorism • Studied only observable behaviors • Expanded upon the work of Pavlov • B.F. Skinner: Behaviorism revisited • Expanded behaviorism • Viewed the mind as a “black box” that was irrelevant

18. The Cognitive Revolution • The precursors to cognitive psychology: • Gestalt psychology • Study of how we perceive objects as whole patterns • Therapy that wishes to treat the whole person • Humanistic psychology • Emphasizes realization of full potential • Recognizes importance of love, self esteem, belonging, and self-actualization

19. The Cognitive Revolution of the 1960s • Study of mental processes • Thinking • Learning • Feeling • Remembering • Decision making

20. New Directions in Psychology • Evolutionary psychology • Studies the adaptive value of behaviors and mental processes • Positive psychology • Study of the subjective feelings of happiness and well-being • Focus is on positive attitude • Response away from victimization

21. What is Psychology? • Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes • Scientific? • Not just common sense or guesses • Psychology uses the scientific method • Scientific Method is careful observations and the experimental testing of hypothesis • Behavior – what people do on the outside • Mental Processes – What is going on inside someone's head. We call this cognition. • Psychology includes the study of both humans and animals

22. Psychology As Science • Psychologists use the scientific method • Steps to the scientific method • Collect data • Generate a theory to explain the data • Produce a testable hypothesis • Systematically test the hypothesis

23. Psychology’s Big Issues • Nature-nurture controversy • Are we a product of innate, inborn tendencies controlled by our genetic make-up? • Are we a reflection of experiences and upbringing? • Person–Situation • Is behavior caused by factors inside the person or outside? • Stability–Change • Are behavior patterns learned in childhood permanent or do people change over time? • Diversity-Universality • How am I like every person, like some people, and like no one else? • Mind–Body • What is the relationship between the mind and the body?

24. Multiple Perspectives • There is no single right answer • Several perspectives can provide insight into behavior

25. Approaches to the field of Psychology • Biological • Evolutionary • Behavioral • Cognitive • Psychodynamic • Humanistic • Social

26. 1. Biological Psychology • Investigates the biological basis of human behavior, thoughts and emotions. Looks at how the following biological mechanisms effect your behavior and mental processes. • Brain • Neurotransmitters • Hormones • Drugs (both legal and illegal) • Gender differences in brain structure and function

27. 2. Evolutionary Psychology • Asks the question: How did our species get to be the way we are? • Language – Why do we talk? • Altruism – Why are we nice to each other? • Sexual attraction / mate selection – Why are some people considered beautiful? • Answers these questions by looking at what would most help us pass on our genetic code. • Very concerned with reproduction!

28. 3. Behavioral • This approach only studies observable human behavior focusing on how we learn, react and manipulate our environment. • We learn observable responses through conditioning or by trying to get rewards/avoid punishments. • Mind is a BLACK BOX. Can’t see it? Don’t study it. • Big names • Pavlov – Dogs • Watson – Little Albert • Skinner – Operant Conditioning

29. 4. Cognitive Psychology • School of psychology that studies mental processes • Thinking, feeling, remembering, making decisions and judgments • Studies how we encode, process, store, and retrieve information. • Studies behavior and makes inferences about the mental processes behind the behavior • Thanks to new technologies like CAT scans, MRIs and fMRIs, we can open the black box.

30. 5. Psychodynamic Psychology • Personality theory that says behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts • Unconscious is a dynamic cauldron of primitive drives, forbidden desires and nameless fears • Psychoanalysis – patient lies on a couch and recounts dreams and conducts free association. • Sigmund Freud

31. 6. Humanistic Psychology • School of psychology that emphasizes nonverbal experiences and altered states of consciousness as a means of realizing one’s full human potential • Importance of love, belonging, human potential, and self-esteem. • Abraham Maslow • Not mainstream, more a cultural and spiritual movement.

32. 7. Sociocultural Psychology • Study of how people influence one another • Topics include: • First impressions • Interpersonal attraction • Attitude formation • Prejudice • Behavior in a group • Obedience to Authority • Some Applications include: • Support groups • Family Therapy • Sensitivity Training

33. Approach Example

35. Careers in Psychology • Clinical and Counseling • Developmental • Educational • Experimental • I/O (Health, Sports, Motivation) • Personality • Psychometric • Social-Psychology

36. 1. Clinical and Counseling Psychology • About 50% of all Psychologists • Counseling psychologists deal with “normal” problems, such as stress caused by career change or marital problems • Counseling psychologist’s focus more on the psychologically healthy individual where clinical focuses on individuals with serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia). • Clinical psychologists are concerned with diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders • Split time between treatment and researching the cause of psychological disorders and the effectiveness of different types of psychotherapy and counseling.

37. 2. Developmental Psychology • Study of physical and mental growth from birth to old age • study of changing abilities from womb to tomb • Subfields • Child psychology • Adolescent psychology • Life-span psychology

38. 3. Educational Psychology • School Psychologist • psychological evaluations • consult with school personnel in relation to students’ learning, behavior, and environments • they are trained to look at the effectiveness of academic programs, classroom agendas, and treatment interventions, which assists in the development of specific interventions.

39. 4. Experimental Psychology • Design research experiments • May or may not have a direct impact on the treatment of patients • Animal subjects • Drug trials

40. 5. Human Factors • The science of understanding the properties of human capability (Human Factors Science). • The application of this understanding to the design, development and deployment of systems and services (Human Factors Engineering). • It can also be called ergonomics.

41. 6. Industrial and Organizational Psychology • Study of psychological principles in industry and business • Examples • Selecting and training personnel • Productivity improvement • Optimizing working conditions • Managing the impact of automation on workers

42. 7. Personality Psychology • Study of how people differ from one another on traits such as • Openness • Conscientiousness • Extraversion • Agreeableness • Neuroticism

43. 7. Psychometics • Test creation • Validity • Reliablity • Culture fair • Statistics

44. Psychiatry • A branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders • Practiced by physicians who sometimes use medical (for example, drug) treatments as well as psychotherapy

45. Licenses in Psychology • Psychologists - Ph.D., Psy.D. • Psychiatrists - M.D. • Psychoanalysts - M.D. or Ph.D. • Social Workers (M.S.W.) - LSW • Marriage Family Therapists - M.A.

46. AP Psychology Research Methods: Experiments

47. Research Methods – Essential Methods • How do psychologists use the scientific method to study behavior and mental processes? • What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different research methods? • How do psychologists draw appropriate conclusions about behavior from research?

49. Be curious! • Does involvement in HS athletics improve academic performance? • Does excessive texting impede face-to-face relationships? • Does personality influence musical preferences? • Do ads portraying unrealistic body types reduce the self-image of the viewer? • Does student consumption of caffeine in the morning improve first period grades? • Does gamification of the classroom improve increase student engagement?

50. Be curious! • Does a community service requirement positively or negatively impact student opinions of community service? • Do we use twitter/facebook/ask.fm/ etc. as an appropriate outline for angst? • Do teacher websites improve student performance in class? • Does focus on minor rules (flip-flops and hats) reduce student adherence to major rules (insubordination or class cutting)?