Week 1 Psych 110

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1: Introduction and Research Methods

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What do you visualize and picture in your mind’s eye when you hear the words “psychology” and “psychologist”? When you flip through the pages of the text, does it match your expectations? Many students open this book and enter their first psychology class believing that psychology is mostly about abnormal behaviors, personal problems, and psychotherapy. Although psychologists do indeed study and treat psychological problems, we also investigate the brain and nervous system, stress, health, sensation, perception, states of consciousness, learning, memory, thinking, language, intelligence, lifespan development, motivation, emotion, personality, social psychology, and so much more.

As you’ll soon discover, psychology is a living, dynamic field that affects virtually every aspect of our lives. Our innermost thoughts, our relationships, our politics, our “gut” feelings, and our deliberate decisions are all shaped by a complex psychological system that affects us at every level, from the cellular to the cultural. Psychology encompasses not only humankind but our nonhuman compatriots as well—from rats and pigeons to cats and chimps.

We invite you to let us know how your study of psychology (and this text) affects you and your life. You can reach us at siri@nasw.org and khuffman@palomar.edu. We look forward to hearing from you.

Warmest regards,

Siri Carpenter and Karen Huffman

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Introducing Psychology 4

Psychology’s Four Main Goals

Careers in Psychology

Origins of Psychology 7

Psychology’s Past

Modern Psychology

What a Psychologist Sees: The Biopsychosocial Model

The Science of Psychology 12

The Scientific Method

Ethical Guidelines...