To Demonstrate Mastery of This Chapter, the Student Should Be Able To

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate mastery of this chapter, the student should be able to:

OBJECTIVE 1.1 – Describe reasons for studying psychology and why it is considered both a science and a profession; and define psychology and behavior, differentiating between overt and covert behaviors.

OBJECTIVE 1.2 – Describe how the search for empirical evidence sets psychology apart from “common-sense” beliefs and from other fields of study; define the terms data, scientific observation, and research method; and explain why some topics in psychology are difficult to study.

OBJECTIVE 1.3 – Describe each of the following research specialities in psychology: a. developmental, b. learning, c. personality, d. sensation and perception, e. comparative, f. biopsychology, g. cognitive, h. gender, i. social, j. cultural, k. evolutionary, and l. forensic; Explain why and how animals are used in research, defining the term animal model and listing ways psychological research may benefit animals.

OBJECTIVE 1.4 – Explain the four goals of psychology.

OBJECTIVE 1.5 – Define the term critical thinking, and describe the four basic principles that form the foundation of critical thinking.

OBJECTIVE 1.6 – Define pseudopsychology; explain how it differs from psychology; describe the pseudopsychologies of palmistry, phrenology, graphology, and astrology; and explain why they continue to thrive even though they have no scientific basis.

OBJECTIVE 1.7 – Explain the problem with using common sense as a source of information; list and define the six steps of the scientific method; define the terms hypothesis, operational definition, and theory; explain the importance of publishing; and list and describe the parts of a research report.

OBJECTIVE 1.8 – For each of these schools of psychology—structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalytic, and humanism—answer each of the following: a. its founder, b. reasons it was founded, c. its goal or main focus, and d. its impact on modern psychology and/or possible use in psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVE 1.9 – Identify notable events within the history of psychology, and describe the contribution of women to the early history of psychology and their representation in the field then and now.

Objective 1.10 – Explain the contemporary perspectives in psychology, including the concepts of eclectic, positive psychology, cultural diversity, cultural relativity, and social norms.

OBJECTIVE 1.11 – Characterize the differences in training, emphasis, and sources of employment among psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, counselors, and psychiatric social workers; explain how the media often portrays psychologists; and discuss psychology as a career option, including the various specialities, such as clinical and counseling psychology, the“scientist-practitioner” model, the APA code of ethics, and the types of research (applied or basic) performed.

OBJECTIVE 1.12 – List and describe the three essential variables of the experimental method; and explain the nature and purpose of the control group and the experimental group in an experiment as well as the purpose of randomly assigning subjects to these two groups.

OBJECTIVE 1.13 – Describe three areas of ethical concern in behavioral research, and list the basic ethical guidelines for psychological researchers. OBJECTIVE 1.14 – Describe what a placebo is and why it is used in an experiment; explain how the single-blind and double-blind experimental approaches control for the placebo effect and the experimenter effect, respectively; and discuss the self-fulfilling prophecy.

OBJECTIVE 1.15 – Explain the use of non-experimental methods of research.

OBJECTIVE 1.16 – Describe naturalistic observation and its advantages and limitations, including the concepts of observer effect, observer bias, and anthropomorphic error; and define the term observation record.

OBJECTIVE 1.17 – Describe a correlational study, its advantages and limitations, how a correlation coefficient is expressed and what it means, and why correlation does NOT demonstrate causation.

OBJECTIVE 1.18 – Briefly describe the clinical method of research, or case study method, including when it is used and its advantages and limitations.

OBJECTIVE 1.19 – Briefly describe the use of the survey method, including its advantages and limitations and the new use of Internet surveys, and define the terms population, representative sample, random selection, biased sample, and courtesy bias.

OBJECTIVE 1.20 – List the suggestions from the textbook authors that will help you become a more critical reader of psychological information in the popular press.