Class notes
Psy 101 Lecture Notes
- Course
- Psy 101
- Institution
- Harper College
This is a comprehensive and detailed note for Psy 101.
[Show more]
Content preview
PSY101!_______________________________
UNIT 1 —>
WEEK 1.2/1.3!
1. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Behavior are
directly observable, like the amount of time baby cries and how much water a
person drinks from the water bottle. Whereas, mental processes are not directly
observable. Things like thinking, decision making or other emotional and cognitive
related things are not observable. BUT IN PSYCHOLOGY WE LOOK AT BOTH. THE
PROCESS OF PSYCHOLOGY IS SCIENCE WHICH MEANS it uses a scientific method
not because what it studies but because how it studies.
There are many beliefs in the world. How do we know which is right?
- By the SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE AND METHOD.
Scientific attitude :-
- Skepticism "" " " - Empirical evidence" " " - Objectivity!
Doubting and not taking something Actual research based support. Removing as much " "
true just cuz someone told you its " " " " " bias as possible even ""
true." " " " " " " " " tho you can not fully " "
" " " " " " " " " remove it 100%. You " "
" " " " " " " " " can at-least beware of
" " " " " " " " the biases you can " "
" " " " " " " " " remove!
" " " " " " " "" " " " " "
Scientific Method:-
Theory - broad idea, explains observations, predicts observations (use the theory to form a
hypothesis)!
Hypothesis - specific prediction, empirically testable, derived from theory ( educated guess or
a prediction which leads you to design a study to test)!
Research (is a test)!
Observation (create or modify the theory)!
Why are the scientific attitude and scientific method important?
- Our beliefs can be wrong. !
- Confidence does not equal accuracy. Just because you beliefs it’s true that does not always
is true.!
- Popularity of an idea does not equal accuracy doesn’t mea it’s true. !
,- Many cognitive biases. Humans have many cognitive biases and that we simplify the world
and focus on narrow aspects of the world. We usually miss things and misintercept the
world. !
Three types of Happiness Examples/Causes
I think my life is great, am satisfied with my job
Life Satisfaction Good income, achieving one’s goals, high self-esteem
Enjoying life, loving others
Positive feelings Supportive friends, interesting work, extroverted
personality
Few chronic worries, rarely sad or angry
Low Negative feelings Low neuroticism, one’s goals are in harmony, a positive
outlook
!
, WEEK 1.4!
Hedonic (emotional)Treadmill - the fact that we have boost on our happiness level but we
have a tendency to go back where we were. Example Another common example of the
hedonic treadmill occurs"after an individual wins the lottery. At first, the person is
ecstatic to have become a millionaire overnight. After several weeks or months, the
newly-minted millionaire becomes accustomed to her new lifestyle and experiences a
corresponding decrease in happiness.!
Adaptation - the tendency to go back where you started!
Overview of true experiments :
KEY FEATURES
- researcher manipulates causes then measures effects!
- IV = cause and DV = effect (CAUSE = independent variable - EFFECT = dependent variable)
- Random assignments to groups —> groups treated differently on the IV —> groups compared on
outcome(s)!
- Holds others variables constant because it would give clear view of independent variable
STRENGTHS
- allow you to study cause and effect !
- ALL others designs are non—experimental
LIMITATIONS
- some variables can’t / shouldn’t be manipulated!
- Confounds/biases
In true experiments, the more controlled you get the less the results are inclined ti generalize to the real
world.
Correlation - relationship between 2 variables can only be between +1 or -1. It also does not
equal causation.!
Positive Correlation - if value of A increases then predict B increases!
Negative Correlation - if value of A increases then predict B decreases!
No Correlation - if value of A increases can’t then predict B. They just don’t go together in any
systematic way.!
Strength (range -1 or +2)!
- Stronger = closer to +1 or -1!
- Weaker = closer to 0 !
Correlation coefficient - “r” !
Quasi experiments - does to use random assignment!
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anyiamgeorge19. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $13.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
83637 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now