Unit 1: Introduction to Psychology
Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a discipline in 1879 . There have been significant changes in the theories that psychologists use to explain behavior and mental processes . In addition, the methodology of psychological research has expanded to include a diversity of approaches to data gathering .  Which forms of research are appropriate for the study of different behaviors? How do psychologists draw appropriate conclusions about behavior from research? How do psychologists make ethical decisions about researching behavior with human and animal subjects?  Stay tuned!

History of Psychology

Unit Objectives
  • Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of  psychological thought  
  • Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years;  
Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later;  
evolutionary, biological, and cognitive as more contemporary approaches  
  • Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.  
  • Distinguish the different domains of psychology:
biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational, experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality, psychometric, and social  
  • Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins,  Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B F Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn, John B Watson, Wilhelm Wundt)  
Resources
Past, Present, and Promise-DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY​
Intro to Psychology - Crash Course Psychology #1 (video)

Thinking Like a Psychologist

Unit Objectives
  • Recognize  how psychologists use critical thinking to sharpen the focus and results of their research experiments.
  • Understand how everyone can use critical thinking to make better decisions.
  • Understand the importance of applying skepticism and learning to put our ideas to the scientific test.

 Research Strategies in Psychology​

Unit Objectives
  • Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey research, naturalistic observations, and case studies) with regard to purpose, strengths, and weaknesses.
  • Describe how research design drives the reasonable conclusions that can be drawn (e.g., experiments are useful for determining cause and effect; the use of experimental controls reduces alternative explanations).
  • Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in experimental designs.
  • Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in experiments and random selection of participants, primarily in correlational studies and surveys.
  • Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research design (e.g., confounding variables limit confidence in research conclusions).
  • Distinguish the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
  • Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and constructing graphs and calculating simple descriptive statistics (e.g., measures of central tendency, standard deviation).
  • Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in behavioral research.
  • Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
  • Describe how ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., those provided by the American Psychological Association, federal regulations, local institutional review boards) protect research participants and promote sound ethical practice.
Resources
Understanding Research-DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY
Psychological Research - Crash Course Psychology #2 (video)
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