Introductory Psychology Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Instructor: John Gabrieli
• Course: Introductory Psychology, 9.00
• Focus: Understanding human nature scientifically, including minds and brains.

Course Overview

• Understanding how we feel, think, and act.
• Key themes to explore:
  • Brain functions and their relation to psychology.
  • Chapters from "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks.
  • Topics include perception, personality, social interaction, and mental health.

Psychology's Uniqueness

• Psychology is crucial because:
  • All university studies ultimately focus on people.
  • Human actions influence various fields such as economics, art, and literature.
• Aim: To show that perception and understanding are not as simple as they seem.

Perception and Interpretation

• Our minds do not simply record the world; they interpret it.
• Example: Length of lines illusion - lines appear different lengths despite being the same.
  • Context influences perception.

Visual Illusions

• Demonstrations of Illusions:
  • Lengths of lines and sizes of circles can be deceiving.
  • Example: Two identical circles may appear different based on context.
• Perspective Cues: Objects can appear larger or smaller based on their distance.

Importance of Context

• Interpretation of visual stimuli is heavily influenced by surrounding information.
• Example: Color perception in different contexts (shades of grey).

Attention and Memory

• Attention: Limited cognitive resources, leading to selective perception.
• Experiment: Counting passes in a video while missing a prominent event (e.g., a person in a gorilla suit).
• Demonstration: Misinterpretation of spoken words based on visual cues in a sound vs. visual experiment.

Heuristics and Mental Maps

• Humans often rely on heuristics, or mental shortcuts, leading to common misconceptions.
• Example: Birthday problem - people underestimate the probability of shared birthdays in groups.

The Challenge of Happiness Prediction

• Studies show people are often wrong about what will make them happy.
• Examples:
  • Tenure decisions and lottery winners report similar happiness levels over time.
  • Happiness after traumatic events often returns to baseline.

Racism and Human Nature

• Study on Racism: Examines the disparity between attitudes and actions.
• Experiment Setup: Participants observe interactions between actors (black and white) and assess their feelings and choices.
• Results show a disconnect between forecasters' predictions and actual experiences in the moment, impacting actions and decisions.

Conclusion

• Psychology explores the complexities of human nature, mind, and brain.
• Key themes include:
  • Interpretation of sensory experiences.
  • Memory perceptions influenced by expectations.
  • Disconnect between feelings and actions in real-world situations.
• The semester will delve deeper into these facets of human experience.