AP Psychology Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Introduction

• Focus on scientific study of mind and behavior.
• Importance of historical contributions to psychology.
• Study guide available for note-taking and deeper understanding.

Key Figures in Psychology

1. Wilhelm Wundt
   • Father of psychology.
   • Created first psychology lab.
   • Focused on senses, reaction time, attention spans, emotions.
2. Edward Titchener
   • Developed structuralism.
3. William James
   • Taught first psychology course at Harvard.
   • Wrote first psychology textbook.
   • Developed functionalism.
4. Mary Whiton Calkins
   • Memory researcher.
   • First female president of APA.
5. Margaret Floy Washburn
   • First woman to earn a psychology degree.
   • Second female president of APA.
6. Charles Darwin
   • Proposed natural selection.
   • Influenced evolutionary psychology.
7. Dorothea Dix
   • Reformed treatment of mentally ill.
8. Sigmund Freud
   • Developed psychoanalytic theory.
9. Ivan Pavlov
   • Known for classical conditioning.
10. Jean Piaget
    • Studied cognitive development in children.
11. Carl Rogers
    • Founder of humanistic psychology.
12. B.F. Skinner
    • Known for operant conditioning.
13. John B. Watson
    • Founder of behaviorism.

Schools of Thought

• Structuralism: Focuses on structures of consciousness using introspection.
• Functionalism: Studies mental and behavioral processes and their functions.
• Gestalt Psychology: Looks at whole consciousness.
• Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic: Focuses on unconscious processes.

Modern Perspectives

• Behavioralism: Studies observable behaviors through learning experiences.
• Humanistic: Emphasizes self-actualization and free will.
• Sociocultural: Examines cultural impacts on behavior.
• Evolutionary: Studies natural selection's impact on behavior.
• Biological: Explores brain structures and their psychological impacts.
• Cognitive: Looks at mental processes like memory and perception.

Research Methods

• Operational Definitions: Clear description of procedure and measurements in experiments.
• Sampling: Use of populations and random samples to avoid bias.
• Research Methods:
  • Experiments: Study cause and effect but may have biases.
  • Correlational Studies: Show relationships but not causation.
  • Surveys: Collect self-reported data.
  • Naturalistic Observation: Observe in real-world settings.
  • Case Studies: In-depth analysis of a subject.
  • Longitudinal Studies: Follow a group over time.
  • Cross-Sectional Studies: Compare different groups at one time.

Hypothesis and Experimental Design

• Hypothesis: A testable prediction.
• Independent Variable (IV): The cause in an experiment.
• Dependent Variable (DV): The effect in an experiment.
• Control Group vs. Experimental Group: Comparison to test IV's effect.
• Confounding Variables: Other factors that may affect the DV.

Biases and Reliability

• Single/Double Blind Studies: Prevent biases and placebo effects.
• Types of Biases:
  • Hindsight Bias: Belief that an outcome was predictable.
  • False Consensus Effect: Overestimating commonality of beliefs.
  • Confirmation Bias: Focusing on information that supports own view.
  • Experimenter Bias: Researcher influences outcome.
  • Social Desirability Bias: Participants provide favorable responses.
  • Hawthorne Effect: Change in behavior due to being observed.

Statistical Analysis

• Types of Data: Quantitative vs. Qualitative.
• Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics: Organizing data vs. making predictions.
• Central Tendency: Mean, median, mode.
• Variability Measures: Range, standard deviation.
• Distributions:
  • Normal Distribution: Bell curve.
  • Skewed Distributions: Positive or negative skew.

Ethical Guidelines

• APA Ethical Guidelines: Protect participants in studies.
• Institutional Review Board (IRB): Approves study designs.
• Informed Consent: Participants must be informed about the study and consent.
• Protection of Animals: Overseen by IACUC.