Is psychology just uncommon common sense? Where would you look to find evidence of psychology in action? How much money does a psychologist earn? What is the scientific method? Are psychologists moral? Why are boxing rings square? Were there any great psychologists besides Freud? Does psychology have a future?

It is often said that in our time of a rapidly changing society our knowledge about man and his nature and condition is catastrophically deficient. Our capacity to relate positively with people comes nowhere near the destructive potential which modern man has available to deal negatively with people. There is reason to believe that some problems of ours could be overcome if only more were known about how and why people function the way they do. In this section we will deal with the facts and myths about psychology in the context of viewing psychology as a Science. This includes the scientific method, the question of applied vs. pure psychology, and the history of psychology as a pre-science and modern science.
 

After participating in the Learning Activities of this section you should be able to:

1. define the term psychology and compare it with the term science.
2. differentiate and illustrate what the various fields of psychology are and what is that psychologists do.
3. describe, identify and analyze the nature and characteristics of the experimental method.
4. recognize some of the better known important persons of psychology.
5. identify the main goals of psychology.
6. distinguish and contrast between psychology, sociology, and anthropology.
7. identify an eclectic approach to psychology.
8. differentiate between basic and applied psychology.
9. recognize and contrast the various ways of doing research, e.g., case studies, surveys, naturalistic observation.
10. understand some of the ethical issues involved in undertaking human research.
 

VIDEO PROGRAMS: #1. "Why Study..." #2. "Research Methods..."

TEXT: (Wade & Tavris) Read Chapter 1, "What is Psychology," Read Chapter 2, "How Psychologists Do Research..."

EXPERIENCES:"Common Sense"

INTERNET SITES:

http://www.apa.org
American Psychological Association

http://www.umanitoba.ca/counselling/careers.html
Career in psychology?

How many nervous systems are there? When we are faced with stress or threat which system kicks in? How many sex hormones are there? Do we use only 11% of our brain's capacity?  Why can one make amends, but not one amend?

The nervous system is a vast internal communication network which connects every part of the body to all other parts which keep us alive and well. This section examines the extent to which our understanding of human psychology and biochemistry as it relates to the nervous system, generates and regulates our behavior, then considers how our brain makes it all work.

After participating in the Learning Activities in this section you should be able to:

1. identify the basic components that make up the central nervous system.
2. recognize the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system.
3. understand the basic functions of the three sex hormones.
4. identify EEG, PET and MRI.
5. distinguish the functions of the hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain.
6. recognize the effects of split-brain operations on patient's perception and language.
7. identify two biological rhythms.
8. name the four stages of REM sleep.
9. identify the common effects of psychoactive drugs.
10. be a wee bit more sensitive to the wonder of the "brain works."

TEXT: (Wade & Tavris) Read Chapter 3: "Evolution, Genes, Environment" Read Chapter 4: "The Brain: Source of....."
Read Chapter 5: " Body Rhythms and Mental States"

EXPERIENCES: Reaction Time

INTERNET SITES:

http://www.behavior.net
Behavior OnLine

Is reality an illusion? What is an illusion? What is the difference between sensing and perceiving? Why do we have two eyes instead of three? Why do we ship by truck and send cargo by ship?  Why do you see (... ...) two sets of three dots rather than simply 6 dots? Is there a so-called sixth sense?

To understand the importance of perception, you need only to realize that the way you perceive your environment to a large extent determines the way you think and behave. This section explores a variety of perceptual phenomena, and poses the intriguing question "that maybe nothing is." Under some conditions our perceptions can be illusory, hallucinogenic, unstable or fluctuating. What we perceive is not always a response to all physical stimuli that impinge upon us--that is, we are selective in what we perceive; a selective process that is influenced by past experiences, present motivations and the sense organs.

After participating in the Learning Activities for this section you should be able to:

1. define and recognize the difference between the terms illusion, delusion, allusion and hallucination.
2. recognize and apply differences between sensation and perception.
3. recognize, differentiate sensory adaptation and selective attention..
4. know and identify the influence of motivation and emotion on perception.
5. be more tolerant and cautious in the judgments you make of things and people.
6. identify the basic structure of the senses of vision and hearing.
7. identify the basic functions of the senses of vision and hearing.
8. define and recognize the three phenomena that comprise ESP, i.e., telepathy, clairvoyance and precognition.
9. contrast the relationship between inborn perceptual abilities and environmental experience.
10. be more critically evaluative per claims involving the paranormal.

VIDEO PROGRAM: #5. "Sensation and Perception"

TEXT: (Wade & Tavris) Read Chapter 6, "Sensation and Perception"

EXPERIENCE: Perception & Motivation

INTERNET SITES:

http://www.randi.org/
The James Randi Educational Foundation (Magician)

Are some worms smarter than others? Does learning only happen in school? Who was Pavlov? Can a person learn to learn? Is Utopia possible? Why do some students "choke-up" during an exam? Can one learn to get better grades? Do people really work for money? Is being a good lover leaned? Who teaches teachers? Is neurosis learned?  Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

"Learning" is a common word in everyday speech, you learn to talk, to swim, to drive a car, to play tennis, to think, to love, and so on. And Psychology is, in large measure, concerned with understanding how behavior is modified. One of the most important means of behavior modification is learning. Individuals and environment interact constantly to produce the complexities of the human condition. To understand why we are, is to begin to understand how we become--learning. In this section, we will first deal with the basic learning process in its most simple form--conditioning. Later in the section, we will discuss and study complex human learning as it involves such factors as practice, reward, emotions, transfer, and meaning.

After participating in the Learning Activities for this section you should be able to:

1. identify and compare respondent and operant conditioning.
2. assess which principles of learning are operative in a given situation.
3. identify and apply the following terms: extinction, generalization, shaping, discrimination.
4. recognize and illustrate selected factors involved in human learning, e.g., meaning, emotion, knowledge of results.
5. be more consciously aware of the principles of learning so as to make you a more effective person.
6. distinguish among the pluses and minuses of punishment in changing behavior.
7. contrast the effects of continuous verses intermittent reinforcement in learning.
8. identify the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic reinforcers.
9. define the term cognition.
10. evaluate the "reality" of latent and insight learning.

VIDEO PROGRAMS: #7. "Learning: Classical..." #8. Learning: Observational/Cognitive..."

TEXT: (Wade & Tavris) Read Chapter 7, "Learning and Conditioning" 
NOTE: Chapter 8, "Behavior in Social and Cultural Context" will be included in Module Three, the last Section.

EXPERIENCE: Conditioned Eye-Blinks

INTERNET SITES:
 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyslexia
Extensive information on dyslexia.

http://karenpryor.com/
Animal Training Techniques

Below are 15 test items that can be used for a preview and review of the material in this section.

1. Psychology is the science of behavior. The term "behavior" is preferable to "mind" because:

1. groups don't have minds

2. behavior is observable

3. animals don't think

4. the mind is too complex

1.Peering into a microscope.

2.Running rats through mazes.

3.Dissecting a cat.

4.Contemplating his own behavior.

1. dependent variable

2. uncontrolled variable

3. independent variable

4. controlled variable

1. attention

2. beliefs

3. interpretation

4. acuity.

1. axon and dendrites

2. the brain and spinal cord

3. the autonomic and somatic nervous systems

4. stimuli and responses

1. Consistency

2. Repetition

3. Intensity

4. Contrast

1. occurring in the so-called 4th dimension

2. below conscious levels of awareness

3. that don't occur above the conscious threshold

4. by persons who are psychic

1. Telepathy

2. Psychokenesis

3. Precognition

4. Clairvoyance

1. Operant conditioning.

2. Respondent learning

3. Classical conditioning

4. Stimulus substitution

1. unconditioned stimulus

2. unconditioned response

3. conditioned stimulus

4. conditioned response

1. instinctive

2. reflexive]

3. emitted

4. unlearned

1. Spontaneous Recovery

2. Stimulus Generalization

3. Extinction

4. Secondary Reinforcement

1. Ritualistic behaviors are inherited.

2. The coach taught each player specific rituals to add interest to the game.

3. Whatever behavior the batter happened to perform just before getting a hit would be to be repeated.

4. Whatever behavior the batter happened to perform just after striking out would be to be repeated.

1. recall

2. recognition

3. relearning time

4. rote

1. studying

2. sleeping

3. eating

4. jogging

Note: If you missed two or more of the above questions, further review is suggested.

Comments? Please contact Dr.  McKinley
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