Experimental Psychology

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Experimental Psychology
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Special Areas in Psychology

• Experimental
• Clinical
• Counseling
• School
• Emotional
• Developmental
• Personality
• Social

• Environmental
• Industrial/ Organizational
• Health
• Consumer

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Experimental Psychology

• Research on learning, cognition, sensation,
  perception
• Biological basis of both human and animal behavior

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Clinical Psychologists

• They treat people with psychological problems
  like depression and schizophrenia
• They administer tests, counsel, and conduct
  research
• Psychiatrists

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Counseling Psychologists

• They help people clarify their goals and make
  life decisions
• The school setting

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Educational Psychologists

• They study issues relating to the measurement of
  intelligence and the processes involved in
  educational and academic achievement
• They usually work in schools and conduct research

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Developmental Psychologists

• They focus on processes that influence social,
  cognitive, and physical growth, as well as
  personality development
• They study both nature and nurture

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Personality Psychologists

• They study the psychological characteristics and
  behavior that distinguishes us as individuals
• They examine personality traits

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Social Psychologists

• They study how specific groups or society in
  general can influence individual behavior and
  outlook
• Research focuses on attitudes, prejudice,
  conformity, obedience

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Environmental Psychologists

• They study relationships between psychological
  factors and physical health

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Industrial/ Organizational Psychologists

• They study peoples behavior at work or school
• Conduct research in academic/work settings
• Human factors research

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Health Psychologists

• They focus on the relationship between
  psychological factors and physical health
• How to quit smoking, avoiding risky sexual
  behavior

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Consumer Psychologists

• They study why people purchase particular
  products and brands
• They examine consumer attitudes

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Early Researchers
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Wilhelm Wundt (18321920)

• He used introspection as a research technique
• Wundts lab

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Edward Titchener (18671927)

• Structuralism (an early school of psychology)
• The mind is structured by breaking down mental
  experiences into their components
• G. Stanley Hall, American Psychological
  Association

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William James and Functionalism

• The school of psychology that focuses on the
  adaptive functions of behavior
• The study of why we do what we do
• The influence of Darwin

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John Watson

• Behaviorismthe study of overt behavior
• He rejected introspection
• Psychology should become a science of behavior
• Environment molds the behavior of us all

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B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)

• Behaviorism gets a boost from Skinner
• Behavior is shaped by rewards and punishment

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Gestalt Psychology

• Max Wertheimer
• Gestalt studies the ways in which the brain
  organizes and structures our perceptions
• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

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Sigmund Freud

• The unconscious mind
• We do and say things without understanding our
  motives

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The Empirical Approach

• A method of developing knowledge based on
  gathering evidence, performing experiments, or
  careful observation
• Psychologists need to distinguish between
  inference and observation

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The Scientific Method

• A framework for acquiring knowledge through
  observation and experimentation (4 steps)
• Come up with a question
• Develop a hypothesis
• Gather evidence
• Draw conclusions

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Research Questions

• Sources used observation, previous experiences,
  beliefs
• Questions eventually become hypotheses

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The Hypothesis

• A precise prediction about the outcome of an
  experiment
• Example Is there a relationship between reckless
  driving and gender?
• Dependent vs. independent variables

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Gathering Evidence

• Develop a research design or strategy to provide
  a scientific test of the hypothesis
• The type of research used depends on what a
  researcher wants to try to measure

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Drawing Conclusions About The Hypothesis

• Conclusions about the hypothesis are based on the
  evidence collected
• Statistics
• Replication

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Selecting a Sample

• Random sampling
• The sample needs to be representative
• Generalize or transfer

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Stratified Samples

• Selecting individuals from a larger group based
  on age, sex, ethnicity, etc.

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Research Methods

• The case study method
• The survey method
• The naturalistic observation method
• The experimental method
• The longitudinal method
• The cross sectional method

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The Case Study Method

• An in-depth study of one or more individuals
• Information collected from interviews,
  observation, written records, artwork
• The work of Jean Piaget

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The Artwork of Mental Patients

• Using artwork as a research tool

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Jose de Goya Self Portrait
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The Stabbing
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William Blake Satan Comes To The Gates Of Hell
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Self-Portraits Joanne
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Franz Messerschmidt
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Schizophrenic Boy
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Lonnie
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Vincent Van Gogh
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Review

• If you were a psychologist, what general
  observations could you make about the artwork of
  mental patients?
• How are colors important in the psychology of
  art? Remembering the drawings made by Joanne.
  Explain how her progression of self-portraits
  reflects her psychological improvement.

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The Survey Method

• Uses structured interviews or questionnaires to
  gather information about groups of people
• Disadvantages

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Common Uses of and Concerns about the Survey
Method

• Anonymity Subjects may open up more than in
  other situations
• Studies about mental health or consumer
  satisfaction
• Social desirability bias and volunteer bias

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Naturalistic Observation Method

• Based on careful observation of behavior in
  natural settings without interfering
• What researchers have learned using this
  technique
• Problems

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Longitudinal Studies

• The same person or group of persons are studied
  at regular intervals over a period of time
• Used to determine whether peoples
  behavior/feelings have changed
• An example

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Cross-Sectional Studies

• Data is collected from groups of participants of
  different ages
• Data is compared, conclusions are drawn
• Advantages, disadvantages

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Correlations and Explanations

• Correlations the measure of a relationship
  between two variables or sets of data
• Positive correlations between high IQ and good
  grades

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Correlations vs. Cause and Effect

• A correlation describes a relationship between
  two things it does not mean that one causes the
  other
• There may be a third factor involved with
  positive correlations

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Correlation Types

• Correlation coefficient a statistical measure of
  association between variables it can vary
  from-1.00 to 1.00

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Benefits of a Correlational Method

• It offers clues to underlying causes of behavior
• It can identify people at risk for physical or
  behavioral problems
• It can increase understanding of relationships
  between variables or events

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The Experimental Method
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The Experimental Method

• Independent variables factors manipulated in an
  experiment
• Dependent variables the effects or outcomes of
  an experiment that are believed to be dependent
  on the values of the independent variables

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Application

• Look at the following photographs and decide
  which subjects you consider most attractive

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Gertrude
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Kristen
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Ethel
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Christine
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Maude
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Prudence
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Matilda
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Sheri
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Megan
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Gladys
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Evaluation

• Does the popularity of a womans name affect
  judgment of their physical attractiveness?
• The independent variable type of name
• The dependent variable ratings of attractiveness

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Control Groups

• Groups of participants in a research experiment
  who do not receive the experimental treatment or
  intervention
• Placebo effects

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Single-Blind Experiments

• Keeping subjects uninformed

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Double-blind

• Both the subject and the experimenter are kept
  uninformed

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Ethics In Research

• Stanley Schachters 1959 study on anxiety and
  affiliation

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Ethics in Research (cont.)

• How would you have felt if you were one of the
  subjects in the high-anxiety group?
• Should researchers be allowed to misrepresent
  their research?

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Deception

• Deception has been fairly common in psychological
  research since the 1960s, especially in the area
  of social psychology
• Deception is used to reduce problems associated
  with the placebo effect

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Animal Research

• Do the laws of behavior apply to both humans and
  animals?
• Animals are sometimes exposed to treatments that
  would be unthinkable to perform on humans

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Guidelines for Ethical Research

• Participation is voluntary
• No exposure to harmful procedures
• If deception is used, a full explanation should
  follow the session
• Privacy should not be violated
• Harmful procedures imposed on animals must not be
  allowed
• Approval from host institutions is necessary