Yale Intro Psych Notes
Introduction to Psychology
Reading Notes
Chapter 2 – the Methods of Psychology
Conjoined twins share a blood supply, part of a skull and some brain tissue
Two kinds of doctors in ancient Greece
Dogmatists: thought the best way to understand illness was to develop therories about the body’s functions
Empiricists: thought that the best way to understand illness was to observe sick people
Empiricism: Originally a Greek school of medicine that stressed the importance of observation, and now generally used to describe any attempt to acquire knowledge by observing objects or events
Method: A set of rules and techniques for observation that allow researchers to avoid the illusions, mistakes and erroneous conclusions that simple observation can produce
Refers primarily to technologies that enhance the powers of the senses
Microscopes, telescopes
Reasons why humans are difficult to study
Complexity: Not sure how human brain gives rise to thoughts, feelings and actions that are psychology’s core concerns
Variability: No two individuals ever do, say, think or feel exactly the same thing under the same circumstances
Reactivity: People often think, feel and act one way when they are being observed and a different way when they are not
Casual observations not enough for science
They are notoriously unstable
Can’t tell us about many of the properties in which we are interested
Operational Definition: Description of an abstract property in terms of a concrete condition that can be measured
Specify the concrete events that count as instances of an abstract property, such as length
Measure: Device that can detect the measurable events to which an operational definition refers
Measures detect the concrete conditions described by operational definitions, but they don’t detect the property itself
Clocks and photon detectors measure change in location over time, but not length
Electromyograph (EMG): Device that measures muscle contractions under the surface of
Reading Notes
Chapter 2 – the Methods of Psychology
Conjoined twins share a blood supply, part of a skull and some brain tissue
Two kinds of doctors in ancient Greece
Dogmatists: thought the best way to understand illness was to develop therories about the body’s functions
Empiricists: thought that the best way to understand illness was to observe sick people
Empiricism: Originally a Greek school of medicine that stressed the importance of observation, and now generally used to describe any attempt to acquire knowledge by observing objects or events
Method: A set of rules and techniques for observation that allow researchers to avoid the illusions, mistakes and erroneous conclusions that simple observation can produce
Refers primarily to technologies that enhance the powers of the senses
Microscopes, telescopes
Reasons why humans are difficult to study
Complexity: Not sure how human brain gives rise to thoughts, feelings and actions that are psychology’s core concerns
Variability: No two individuals ever do, say, think or feel exactly the same thing under the same circumstances
Reactivity: People often think, feel and act one way when they are being observed and a different way when they are not
Casual observations not enough for science
They are notoriously unstable
Can’t tell us about many of the properties in which we are interested
Operational Definition: Description of an abstract property in terms of a concrete condition that can be measured
Specify the concrete events that count as instances of an abstract property, such as length
Measure: Device that can detect the measurable events to which an operational definition refers
Measures detect the concrete conditions described by operational definitions, but they don’t detect the property itself
Clocks and photon detectors measure change in location over time, but not length
Electromyograph (EMG): Device that measures muscle contractions under the surface of