Psychology as a science (cont.)
Gestalt Psychology--experience transcends elements
Freud and the great unconscious
Watson and the rise of behaviorism
The Cognitive Revolution--psychology discovers the mind--again.
Of Dead White Males
Of Levels of Analysis
Scientific Psychology vs. Bubba Psychology
The Goals of Science and the use of Theories and Hypotheses
To understand "Adolescence" we might want to know something about:
Biological factors--What's happening with hormones, physical growth, sexual development.
Behavioral factors--What are the rewards and punishments that adolescents confront (e.g., math and popularity)
Cognitive factors--How are the problem solving capacities changing? How is identity
Contextual factors--How is society shaping them? What does the media tell adolescents?
The Goals of Science
Description of events
Explanation of why things occur
Prediction of future events
Theories tell you why a relationship exists. They are explanations.
Statements about the way things work.
Hypotheses are predictions about what should happen if the theory is true. They are "educated" guesses.
Consider the case of Exams and Affiliation? Why?
Perhaps exams lead to fear which leads to uncertainty which leads to affiliation.
How could we test this?
Correlational Studies vs. Experimental Studies