Unit 1 – Introduction, Overview, History and Scientific Methodology in Psychology

Essential Questions:

  • What is psychology really?
  • How do different perspectives and subfields of psychology fit into the overall study of psychology
  • What are the historical roots of psychology?
  • How do psychologists employ the scientific method to the study of mental process and behavior?
  • Which methods of research are appropriate for the study of different behaviors and how does experimental design affect results?
  • How do psychologists draw conclusions on behavior from research?
  • How do psychologists make ethical decisions regarding research with human and animal subjects?

Objectives:

  • Define psychology
  • Discuss the different perspectives and approaches to the study of psychology
  • Identify the many subfields and specialties in psychology
  • Trace the historical development of psychology as a field of study
  • Discuss the different types of research methods used to study psychology, descriptive, correlation, experimental.
  • Discuss which forms of research are best for certain types of inquiries.
  • Identify the elements, benefits, and limitations of experimental research
  • Prepare and conduct a naturalistic observation
  • Explore experimental design and design a novel experiment.
  • Describe and employ certain statistical measures for gathered data.
  • Discuss the ethical considerations of human and animal research

Activities, Readings and Viewings:

  • Read Myers Chapter 1
  • Personal Theory Inventory – Experiencing Psychology
  • Naturalistic Observation Project
  • Experimental Design Project
  • Read Excerpts from – Three Psychologies – by Nye

Evaluation:

  • Projects
  • Quizzes
  • Exam 1