Book Cover  Psychology: Concepts and Applications 3e   Halonen
Online Learning Center 

Chapter 1: The Scope and Methods of Psychology


Learning Objectives

Chapter 1: The Scope and Methods of Psychology

  1. Define psychology.
  2. Discuss the contributions to psychology of the following individuals: Socrates, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Wilhelm Wundt, and William James
  3. Distinguish between the "hardheaded" and the soft-hearted " approaches to psychology.
  4. Describe the following contemporary perspectives in psychology: behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, neurobiological, cognitive, evolutionary, and sociocultural.
  5. Distinguish among the concepts of culture, ethnicity, ethnic identity, and gender.
  6. Describe the following areas of specialization in psychology: clinical and counseling, neuroscience and physiological, developmental, social, cross-cultural, psychology of women, industrial and organizational, forensic, school, and educational.
  7. Identify the career possibilities that are offered by a degree in psychology.
  8. Explain the following steps involved in using the scientific method: identifying and analyzing a problem, developing tentative explanations, collecting data, drawing conclusions, and confirming or revising theory.
  9. Discuss the importance of carefully selecting participants for research.
  10. Contrast laboratory research and naturalistic observation.
  11. Describe each of the following assessment measures: direct observation, interviews and questionnaires, and standardized tests.
  12. Distinguish among descriptive research methods, correlational research methods, and experimental research methods.
  13. Distinguish between the experimental group and the control group; between the independent and the dependent variable.
  14. Describe the challenges to researchers regarding the ethical treatment of human participants and the ethical treatment of research animals.
  15. Discuss the importance of the following in making sense of claims about behavior: knowing how important terms are defined and measured; understanding the nature of the sample, avoiding predictions about individual behavior from group results; resisting the interpretation of results of a single study as definitive; differentiating correlational and experimental research; evaluating the credibility of the source; and maintaining skepticism about simplistic claims.
  16. Distinguish between psychology and pseudoscience.

HomeChapter IndexPreviousNext

Begin a search: Catalog | Site | Campus Rep

MHHE Home | About MHHE | Help Desk | Legal Policies and Info | Order Info | What's New | Get Involved


Copyright ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies. All rights reserved. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
For further information about this site contact mhhe_webmaster@mcgraw-hill.com.

Corporate Link