PSY100H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Intelligence Quotient, Phineas Gage, Operational Definition

• School: UTSG
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY100H1
• Professor: Paul Whissell

Document Summary

Variability in variables: mood can vary significantly between people even friends, mood can vary dramatically in a person depending on their recent experiences. The scientific method: hypotheses are often wrong, adjust approach and try again with a new hypothesis, even unsupported hypothesis can affect our values laws and policies. Important to understand characteristics of variables before studying them: variables within a population can have many values, whe(cid:374) stud(cid:455)i(cid:374)g a (cid:448)a(cid:396)ia(cid:271)le, su(cid:272)h as i(cid:374)tellige(cid:374)(cid:272)e (cid:395)uotie(cid:374)t (cid:894)iq(cid:895), (cid:449)e (cid:272)a(cid:374) look at it"s distribution. Defining variables in psychology: ph(cid:455)siologi(cid:272)al (cid:448)a(cid:396)ia(cid:271)le su(cid:272)h as (cid:862)height(cid:863) a(cid:374)d (cid:862)(cid:271)od(cid:455)(cid:449)eight(cid:863) a(cid:396)e (cid:396)elati(cid:448)el(cid:455) eas(cid:455) to handle because they are tangible and measurable, psychological variables are much more challenging. Intelligence = the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge and skills: may include cognitive abilities measured using cognitive tests, a conceptual variable. Intelligence quotient (iq) is a variable to represent intelligence.