Category: Psychology 101
Choosing a Career in Psychology
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology 101 Thursday, 11 September 2008 00:56 No Comments
Society is crowded with many different kinds of people, which create problems of how to live and work together and live with oneself. It is in these situations which psychology serves its purpose by creating answers to these questions. Psychology helps create an awareness of these problems and this awareness increases the likelihood of treatment. A student who is deciding to enter the field of psychology has a choice to make from an array of many different and exciting careers. All of these numerous careers in psychology fall into three basic categories of practice: psychologists, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists. Each of these categories differ slightly in the job role and number of years spent on education but the ultimate goal of each is the same, to aid in the advancement of society.
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The Role Of Theory In Psychological Research
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology 101 Thursday, 4 September 2008 19:19 No Comments
A theory is a statement that describes, explains and predicts the cause and effect of a particular research investigation. It is an integrated group of principles that define and anticipate observed events – as well as presenting ideas that summarize and explicate social phenomena. The roles of theories are considerable as they are incessantly utilised in all forms of psychological research studies. There are numerous roles that theories are utilised for. I have endeavored to include them all along with how theories relate to hypothesis, variables and methods.
The role of a theory is to expand our knowledge beyond the obvious information and lead us to generalisations and predictions. In psychological research, a theory is the most significant factor: it determines the manner in which the research will be performed; the purpose of conducting the investigation; and defines the subject that is being researched.
A theory’s function is to stimulate and guide the research and researcher towards the explanation of how the results from the study were attained. It is also used in the identification of the primary causes that influence the particular studies final results.
The role of a theory in psychological research is to create a hypothesis that can be objectively tested. This testing is necessary in order for the hypothesis to be proven or refuted and for the ability to expand on the preceding theory with increased accuracy. Testing theories requires interpreting the information acquired in ways that can be validated and reproduced.
Theories are needed in investigations to allow the researcher “to make testable predictions about observable behavior” Bourne, Lyle Eugene, 1932 – Psychology: Behavior in context 1998 Lyle E. Bourne, Jr., Nancy Felipe Russo and to systematize experiences to assist the researcher’s focus on the relevant factors.
The role of a theory is to mould the way we perceive the world, to assist us in forming principles, and to provoke new questions that surpass our previous observations and beliefs. ” psychological theory must concern itself with the context and moral significance, and with the formation of principles rather than casual laws.” Martin, Jack 1996 Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 16 1 , 1 – 18 .
There are many steps to developing a theory. First of all steps is the basic theory or idea, then the hypothesis, then the research – testing of the hypothesis. The results of the research determine the actions to follow: If the results verify the hypothesis, then the reliance in the theory increases; however, if the results disprove the hypothesis, then the faith in the theory decreases and the theory is either altered or discarded.
Psychological research begins with a theory. Theories are a “set of self – consistent principles that organize and explain individual “facts” or observations” Bourne, L. E., Russo, N. F. 1998 Psychology: Behavior in context .
After a theory there is a hypothesis, which is a prediction evolved from a theory that is used to foretell how a variable will relate to another. A hypothesis is a testable proposition that describes a relationship that may exist between events, objects, and people. It is also a specific prediction of a relationship that exists between or among the variables. The result of testing a hypothesis is used to either support, reject, or modify the basic theory.
A variable is a characteristic that can have two or more values and are defined so that methods can be used to test the relationship of the variables to determine if the theory is accurate. Predictions of how a variable relates to another is called hypothesis.
Methods are used to compile information and analyze hypotheses that have been developed from theories. There are three kinds of research methods.
The first is the descriptive method. With this method, research is aimed at displaying what has occurred under a specialised set of conditions.
The second is the correlational method. With this method, research is designed to determine how strongly a chosen variable relates to another.
The Third is the experimental method. With this method, research is specifically adapted to the purpose of an experimental investigation. In an experiment, one variable is manipulated by the researcher to examine its affects on another variable, while the other variables in the experiment are held constant.
Sometimes in research, two or more methods are applied simultaneously to the same problem in order to gain a improved understanding of the theory being investigated
Different methods can produce results consistent or inconsistent with a hypothesis. Either compatible or incompatible, the outcome may suggest new ideas be developed and studied to improve on the basic theory.
Theories arrange distinct observations and data and place them in a context that gives them unique meaning and connection to each other.
From theory development to theory, to hypothesis and methods of testing. No matter what the variables, theory is just an integrated set of principles that are researched and developed in order to explain and predict aspects of social phenomena.
REFERENCES:
Bourne, L. E., Jr., Russo, N. F. 1998 Psychology: Behavior in context.
Martin, J. 1996 Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 16 1 1 – 18.
Coleman, J. S. 1990 Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Macy, Micheal W. 1990 Learning theory and the logic of critical mass. American Sociological Review 55:730 – 747.
Burt, Ronald S. 1981 Toward a Structural Theory of Action. New York: Academic Press.
Berger, J., Zelditch, M., Jr. eds. , Theoretical Research Programs: Studies in the Growth of Theories. Stanford, CA: Stanford U. Press.
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The Purpose of Dreams
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology 101 Saturday, 23 February 2008 01:58 No Comments
Dreams may be the one way that our brain organizes and stores our memories. The time we spend dreaming could be a period when the brain can reorganize and review our day’s events and connect our new experiences to older ones. During dream time, the body is shut down so the brain can do this without additional input coming in or risking the body reacting out the day’s memories. This usually occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, or stages 1 and 2 sleep. It is widely held that people who are deprived of REM sleep tend not to remember what they just learned during the day.
How do dreams start? Do dreams start in our brains? A dream is a form of perception stimulated by some particular sensation. If our eyes are closed and our body’s are shut down, where is the sensation coming from? Can dreams be a form of extrasensory perception (ESP)?
Two main theorists that were prominent in the study of dreams. First there was Sigmund Freud. He believed that dreams were a way to preserve sleep. He was widely contradicted. Carl Jung, an early follower of Freud, later broke away to form his own thinking on a variety of psychological topics. He believed that dreams were a way of helping to develop a persons personality that remained undeveloped while awake. If one was shy when awake, they will be shy while in our dreams.
This contradicts Freud’s ID and Ego theory. The Ego, our conscious state, is the control factor that has the ID, inner desires, under control. The ego suppresses the inner desires so that the only way for it to be released is while dreaming. If our inner desires are so suppressed, our dreams could take on a life of their own.
For example, a successful business person is always busy and on the go. Deep in the mind, they have certain desires, such as being in a biker bar, shooting pool and having a beer with friends. An interesting place to dream about. For those successful business people that their inner desires are so suppressed that their dreams take on a life of their own almost like astral projection, projecting oneself to a place that they really want to be. It is like being in two places at the same time.
Another school of thought that I happen to believe in is that dreams have a sought of problem solving function. By dreaming we work through our issues that we were having trouble with during the day. This probably explains why so many great ideas come about when one was sleeping. One wake up and immediate go turn on the computer and start writing down their newfound thoughts. If we can’t dream, our problems go unresolved, and our stress levels begin to rise which could then lead to self-destruction.
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Describe Hindsight Bias
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology 101 Saturday, 23 February 2008 01:56 No Comments
When interviewing job candidates, many interviewers tend to be overconfident of their gut feelings about the job applicants. The overconfidence stems from past cases where their hunches have proved right in the past. Maybe a job applicant did all of the right things to present a favorable impression, and the interviewer relied heavily on that favorable impression. This bias causes interviewers to reject applicants that have succeeded elsewhere. This is an example of hindsight bias, or the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
It is very easy to find yourself criticizing an outcome after it already happened. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, commentators mentioned about why the victims in the second tower did not evacuate after the first plane hit. Whether it is the dot com bubble bursting, a recession looming about, a terrorist attack, or even hiring your next employee, we are all subject to being a Monday morning quarterback, also known as hindsight bias.
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thinking critically about psychology
Posted by Nick Roy in Psychology 101 Saturday, 23 February 2008 01:54 No Comments
All science is based on curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled. For example, is there life after death? Do ghosts and demons really exist? When it comes to questions related to paranormal psychology there are more skeptics than believers. Some skeptics can turn into believers if they have a first hand experience combined with other evidence of something paranormal. To become a believer in paranormal psychology requires a scientific attitude, which involves curious skepticism to understand what is really going on.
One can acquire the tools needed for researching the topic of paranormal, such as thermal imaging cameras or digital electronic recorders to gather evidence. If something was captured on camera, the researcher would experiment to try and recreate the phenomena. If the phenomena cannot be recreated, you have solid evidence to report that there is something paranormal in the research environment you are investigating.
When dealing with topics such as the paranormal, there will be skeptics. Skeptics can turn into believers if they have a first hand experience. Such crazy sounding ideas do find support when subjected to a scientific attitude. Other researchers can further experiment with the time of day. For example, some researchers in this field believe that most spirits manifest during the early morning hours.
To test this, researchers can use a concept called dead time to try and communicate with a spirit. Dead time is where you turn off all electronic devices and electricity such as lights. The environment should be completely dark and quiet.
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