PSYC 100 Lecture 1: PSYC_100_Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Monday, May 1, 2017
9:28 AM
The Barnum Effect
• "The tendency to accept high base rate descriptions as accurate"
• This is what personality tests use
• Very vague, not unique or specific
• Based on a person Barnum, because his publicity was that his circus was for everyone
• People will accept broad, ambiguous statements about themselves as true and specific to
them
• More so if they are seen as customized for them and come from someone who has
authority
• Donald Trump has been compared to Barnum, how their business is similar
Fact or Falsehood
• Sigmund Freud - NOT THE FIRST
• Psychology - comes from biology and philosophy
• We are confident in our beliefs
IQ and Multitasking - what is it based on? Was it published etc.?
What is Psychology?
• The scientific study of the mind, brain and behaviour
• Psychology is a science - science is an approach to evidence
• William James - father of psychology of North America
• Three different levels
o Biological - molecules and brain structure
o Psychological - thoughts emotions
o Social and cultural - cultural influences, relationships
• To fully understand psychology, we must consider multiple levels of analysis
Levels of psychological analysis
• Biological -
o Depression is in part genetically influenced
o Depression is influenced by the action of neurotransmitters in the brain
• Psychological -
o People who are depressed may interpret the events that occur to them too
negatively
o Psychotherapy can be used to help people talk about and combat depression
• Social and Cultural -
o Women experience more depression than do men
o The prevalence of depression varies across cultures and historical time periods
Goals of Psychological Study
• Describe -
o Observations = data
• Explain -
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
29
PSYC 100 Full Course Notes
Verified Note
29 documents
Document Summary
Sigmund freud - not the first: psychology - comes from biology and philosophy, we are confident in our beliefs. Social and cultural : women experience more depression than do men, the prevalence of depression varies across cultures and historical time periods. Goals of psychological study: describe , observations = data, explain , requires understanding of conditions, predict , likelihood of occurrence under certain circumstances. Scientific method: question, research, hypothesis, experiment/study, facts/observation, analysis, conclusion, go back to drawing board or publish! Full working model supported by evidence and accepted as valid and accurate at predicting and testing observations: provides explanations of large number of findings, generate predictions. Is acquired through the scientific method and tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation. In the course of time, theories often evolve, but are rarely disproven completely. Fallacies: emotional reasoning fallacy, hasty generalization fallacy, bandwagon fallacy, circular fallacy, appeal to authority fallacy.
