PS1009 Applied Psychology Lecture 1: Introduction to Applied Psychology

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PS1009 Applied PsychologyLecture 1
Introduction to Applied Psychology

• Dr Claire Gibson (cg95_at_le.ac.uk)
• School of Psychology

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Lecture 1 - Introduction to Applied Psychology

• Overview
• Module content/examination
• What is Applied Psychology?
• History of Applied Psychology
• Skills required for Applied Psychology
• Areas of Applied Psychology
• Career Opportunities in Applied Psychology

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Module Content Examination

• AIM To provide an insight into how psychology
  has been and can be used.
• LECTURES Various members of School of Psychology
• Mondays, 16.00 17.00, KE LT1
• Fridays, 13.00 14.00, Att LT1
• Handouts, ppt presentations, module website,
• Exam MCQs

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What is Applied Psychology?

• The use of psychological principles/theories to
  overcome problems
• Application of psychological knowledge,
  principles and techniques in areas of everyday
  life.
• Contrasts to academic research
• Academic research
• end-point is understanding
• Applied psychology
• focus on practical goals (i.e. doing and outcomes
  rather than knowing)

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Applied Psychology AND Academic Research

• Applied psychology does draw on academic research
• But, two-way process
• Many of the classic findings of research have
  been result of problems in the field of
  application
• Development of intelligence tests children with
  learning difficulties
• Attitude change US govt. attempts to boost
  morale
• Psychoanalytic school founded on the work of
  a few doctors (Freud) working with a small number
  of psychiatric patients

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Areas of Applied Psychology

• Major areas in UK are big professional domains
• Clinical Psychology
• Counselling Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Occupational Psychology
• Covered in detail in subsequent lectures.
• There are many other domains of applied
  psychology (consulting, consumer, environmental,
  military)

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What is an Applied Psychologist?

• Overall aim
• to produce some form of change in human
  behaviour/experience.
• The special role/skills of the applied
  psychologist
• Use of scientific method
• Membership of a professional body
• Knowledge and theory
• Interventions and their evaluation
• Code of conduct and professional ethics
• Production of practice and research data.

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1. Use of scientific method

• Make use of the scientific method in approaching
  the problem solving
• Stages in the traditional scientific method
• Observation
• Induction
• Theory production
• Hypothesis testing
• Data collection and analysis
• Support, rejection or modification of theory

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2. Membership of a professional body

• British Psychological Society (BPS)
• THE professional and academic reference point for
  all UK psychologists
• Founded in 1901
• Principal aims
• High standard of professional education and
  knowledge
• Code of Conduct
• Register of Chartered Psychologists
• Resources for promoting invention and research
• Print, publish and circulate papers, books etc.

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3. Draw on a body of knowledge and theory

• Body of research knowledge
• Skills of assessment, analysis, evaluation,
  hypothesis development and hypothesis testing
• skills you will be taught during your degree
  course

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4. Interventions and their evaluation

• Contact with client
• Assessment
• Discussion of the problem
• IS there a problem?
• Data collection/analysis of behaviour
• Diagnosis/formulation
• Previous similar cases
• Generation of hypotheses
• Construction of the intervention programme
• Specific course of action
• Desired/expected outcomes
• Implementation of the intervention programme
• Evaluation
• Has the intervention worked?
• How well did it work?

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5. Code of conduct and professional ethics

• Consent
• Permission MUST be obtained
• Not necessarily always from patient/participant
• Debriefing
• Must fully explain purpose of any intervention
• Important if deception has occurred
• Withdrawal, confidentiality and protection
• Requires careful consideration
• Advice
• Professional psychologists experts?
• Beware of giving advice

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6. Production of practice and research data

• Professional psychologists engage in the
  application of theory and method
• Develop theory
• Contribute important and useful findings to the
  knowledge pool

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Fundamental vs. Applied Research

• Applied
• Tackles specific problems
• Fundamental (Basic)
• Researchers interested in furthering knowledge of
  the subject in question

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What can I do with a degree in Psychology?

• Career Opportunities I
• Prior to the 1940s academic world of research
  and teaching
• Post-1940s increased demand for the services
  of professional applied psychologists

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What can I do with a degree in Psychology?

• Career Opportunities II
• Major professional domains clinical,
  educational, forensic, occupational
• ALL require further specialist training
• Postgraduate training doctoral degree (e.g. in
  clinical or educational) or a Masters degree
  (e.g. in forensic)
• Require you to have Graduate Basis for
  Registration (GBR)
• Obtained via BPS accredited degree, e.g. BSc
  (Hons) degree in Psychology, University of
  Leicester

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Further Information

• Reading List (module website)
• Coolican, H. (1996) Applied Psychology. London
  Hodder Stoughton.
• Main Library, 158 COO