Assignment
Text book: Essentials of Psychology by Douglas A. Bernstein, 6th Edition.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY
Read/overview the chapter using the learning objectives as a guide
• Define psychology. (see "The World of Psychology: An Overview")
• Name the various subfields of psychology. Describe the activities and interests of psychologists in each subfield. (see "Subfields of Psychology") p. 3 - 6
• Explain how the subfields of psychology can overlap. Describe how the field of psychology is linked to other disciplines.
• Define empiricism. (see "A Brief History of Psychology") p. 9-10
• Discuss the history of psychology. Compare the goals, methods, and beliefs associated with structuralism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, functionalism, and behaviorism. P. 9-11 table (in review) p. 12
• Compare and contrast the basic assumptions of the following approaches to psychology: biological, evolutionary, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic. Define eclectic. P. 12-15
• Explain why psychologists are interested in the influence of culture on behavior and mental processes. Define and give examples of sociocultural variables. Compare and contrast individualist and collectivist cultures. P. 17-
• Define critical thinking. Be able to assess claims by using the five-step process presented in the text. P. 20-21
• Define and give an example of a hypothesis, operational definition, and variable. (see "Critical Thinking and Scientific Research") p. 22
• Discuss the importance of reliability and validity in evaluating the quality of evidence.
• Describe the evolution of a theory. (see "The Role of Theories") p. 22-23
• List the four main goals of scientific research in psychology. P. 21-
• Describe the following research methods, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each: naturalistic observation, case studies, and surveys. P. 23-24
• Define correlation. Give an example of a positive correlation and a negative correlation. Explain how correlation coefficients are interpreted. Explain why correlations do not imply causation. P. 25-27
• Define and give an example of an experiment. Explain why experiments can establish cause-and-effect relationships, but other research methods cannot. (see "Experiments: Exploring Cause and Effect") p. 28-
• Define and explain the role of independent and dependent variables, and of experimental and control groups in an experiment.
• Define confounding variable. Discuss the problems associated with the following confounding variables: random variables. P. 30-32
Format your assignment according to the give formatting requirements:
• The answer must be using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, typed, with one-inch margins on all sides.
• The response also includes a cover page containing the student's name, the title of the assignment, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
• Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.