Psychology 1101

Thinking Like a Psychologist 1

School of Psychology

Textbook and Online Content update PSYC1101

Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour 1e,
available in the campus bookstore, is packaged with a
card to enable student access Connect... the online
component of the resource, used heavily in this
course.

UPDATE - UWA Psychology is now going

to provide student access to this online
resource on your behalf.
You will still need to purchase the textbook in the bookstore, but access to the
online component will be given automatically.
The following information will explain how this may affect you

If you have purchased the Textbook /

Connect package in the bookstore already

If you can show proof of purchase, you will be entitled to a

$10 refund (the subsidised cost of the Connect Access
bundled with the textbook) from the campus bookstore.
This refund process is currently being set up by the Co-Op,
so please see the bookstore from Week 3 to apply for your
$10 refund.

If you have purchased the Textbook /

Connect package in the bookstore already
If you have already used the Access Card to
register for Connect, then there is nothing else
you need to do, you can continue to access
the content online.
If you have purchased the package but have
not yet used the Access Card to register for
Connect, please DO NOT use the card to
register.
In the coming days, you will automatically be
registered for the course, so you can simply
return your Access Card to the bookstore.

If you are still to purchase the textbook in the bookstore

The price of the pack in the bookstore is being re-priced (reduced by $10).
When you purchase the pack, remove the plastic film and return the Access Card to the bookstore.
In the coming days, you will automatically be registered for Connect, and the next slides will show you how to
navigate to the content from within the Universitys Learning Management System Login Page

How to access the online content

once you are automatically registered
Automatic registration should occur
by the end of this week.
Once complete, when you log into the
LMS, and go into PSYC1101, click the
McGraw-Hill Campus link that will
be visible on the bottom right-hand
side of the screen

How to access the online content once you are automatically registered

Click on Connect icon

You are now in the Connect platform

Careers in psychology

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We only use 20% of our brains?

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Steps in the scientific process

Identify a question of interest

Gather information and form a

hypothesis

scientific articles, news events, personal

experiences, etc.

Hypothesis: a specific prediction about

some phenomenon

Test hypothesis by conducting research

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Steps in the scientific process

(cont.)
Analyse data, draw tentative
conclusions and report findings

Build a body of knowledge

Theory: explains how and why certain

events are related to one another

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Five Questions for Critical Thinking

What is the claim? What am I being
asked to believe or accept?
What is the evidence is available to
support or reject the assertion and how
good is it?
Are there alternative ways of interpreting
the evidence? Are other explanations
possible?

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Five Questions for Critical Thinking

What additional evidence would help
evaluate the alternatives?
What conclusions are most appropriate
and reasonable?

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How would you know if you only

used 20% of your brain?

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What am I being asked to believe or

accept?

15

Only use 20% of brain

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?

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Neuropsychology
Terri Shavio oxygen deprivation
caused damage to 50% of her brain and
she remained in a vegetative state for
15 years before her death (Quill, 2005)
No brain area can be destroyed without
causing deficits
Where are the silent areas?

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M1 plasticity following amputation

Plasticity of stump muscle representations in M1

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Conclusions?

Brain may not be wasted potential but

is plastic

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What causes dog phobias?

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Thinking Critically

What am I being asked to believe?

That dog fears originate following an event

where an aversive event is contingent upon
the presence of a dog (e.g., a dog bite)

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Thinking Critically

What am I being asked to believe?

That dog fears originate following an event

where an aversive event is contingent upon
the presence of a dog (e.g., a dog bite)

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?

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Dog bites cause phobias?

Di Nardo et al. (1988)
Women divided into groups:

Fearful VS non-fearful of dogs

Questionnaire
Frightening/painful confrontation with dog?
Expectation upon encountering a dog?
(Fear)
Probability of expectation occurring? (Harm)

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Expect Fear or Harm?

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Learning Event?

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Thinking Critically

What am I being asked to believe?

That dog fears originate following an event

where an aversive event is contingent upon
the presence of a dog (e.g., a dog bite)

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?
Are there alternative ways of interpreting
the evidence?

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13

Learning Event?

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What am I being asked to believe or

accept?
What evidence is available to support
the assertion?
Are there alternative ways of interpreting
the evidence?
What additional evidence would help
evaluate the alternatives?
What conclusions are most reasonable?

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14

Exposure Treatment for

Phobias

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Exposure to Fearful Stimuli

What am I being asked to believe?
Another common strategy used by
patients to minimize anxiety during
exposure is distraction. While distraction
may have helped sufferers of panic to
cope with anxiety in the past, it does not
allow anxiety to extinguish or habituate.

Andrews, Crino, Hunt, Lampe, & PAGE (1994; p.52)

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15

What am I being asked to believe?

What evidence is available to support
the assertion?

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Oliver & Page (2003)

10

Exposure + Focusing
Exposure + Distraction
Exposure Alone

S U D S c o r e ( 0 - 10 )

8
6
4
2
0
0

mins

mins

10

mins

Session 1

mins

mins

10

mins

Session 2

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mins

mins

10

mins

Session 3

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Oliver & Page (2003)

10

Exposure + Focusing
Exposure + Distraction
Exposure Alone

S U D S c o r e ( 0 - 10 )

Mean = Average Score

6
4
2
0

Variability Around Mean

mins

mins

10

mins

Session 1

mins

mins

10

mins

Session 2

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mins

mins

10

mins

Session 3

Reflection: What is the design of

this research?

It is an experiment
Random assignment to conditions
3 manipulated variables: type of exposure
(independent variable)
1 measured variable: Subjective Units of
Discomfort Score (dependent variable)

Weakness

All within session

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What makes me happy?

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Who is Happy?

Does this vary over life?

Are teenage years stress-filled?
Was school the best days of your life?
Is mid-life full of crises?
Is retirement a time of joy or regret?

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"Satisfied" or "Very Satisfied" with life

100

Percent

80
60
40
20

65
+

55
-6
4

45
-5
4

35
-4
4

25
-3
4

15
-2
4

Age
Groups
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of Psychology

What Brings Happiness?

"Money doesn't make you happy. I now

have $50 million, but I was just as happy
when I had $48 million."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Who is Happy?

What am I being asked to believe or

accept?

Money increases happiness

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?

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Percent Very Happy

Personal Income

100

20000
17500
15000

80

12500

60

10000

40

7500

20

5000
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998

Average Per-Person After-Tax

Income in 1995 US$

Percentage Describing
Themselves as Very Happy

Economic Growth & Morale

Years
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Winning Lottery

Lottery winners (4.0) only slightly

greater than average happiness (3.8)

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Average Life Satisfaction

(Diener et al., 1985 & Diener & Seligman, 2004)
Forbes 400 Richest List

Amish

Average life satisfaction 5.8 / 7

Average life satisfaction 5.8 / 7

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What am I being asked to believe or

accept?

Money increases happiness

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?
Are there alternative ways of interpreting
the evidence?

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Happy people

Traits of happy people:

Like themselves (i.e., high self-esteem)
Outgoing (extraverted) engage with other
people
Personal control feel empowered (not
helpless), capable (not victimized)
Optimistic tend to expect to succeed when
attempting something new

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Relationships of Happy People

Sartre Hell is other people but
Seligman (1991) argues that increase in
depression is attributable to
impoverished social lives

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Companionship & Happiness

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Work and Satisfaction

Veroff et al (1981)
Taking into consideration all
the things about your job, how
satisfied or dissatisfied are you
with it?

Men

Women

Satisfied & Very

Satisfied

74%

71%

Neutral &
Ambivalent

17%

18%

Only 25% of men would stop

working if they did not need to
(Warr, 1982)

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Happiness and Leisure

Only 17% said watching TV gave them

great satisfaction (Robinson, 1977)

Compared with:
Housework
Sports
Religion
Children

25%
26%
34%
79%

Music a source of happiness (esp. for

girls) e.g., choir
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Spiritual Commitment & Happiness

Percent "Very Happy"

80
60
40
20

Lo
w

ig
h

Spiritual
School of Commitment
Psychology

Diener et al. (2011). The religion

paradox: If religion makes people
happy, why are so many dropping out?,
Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 101(2),354-365.

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What am I being asked to believe or

accept?

Money increases happiness

What evidence is available to support

the assertion?
Are there alternative ways of interpreting
the evidence?
What additional evidence would help
evaluate the alternatives?

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If money doesnt bring happiness, what

does?
Relationships?
Purpose and meaning?
Focus beyond self?
Hope?

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Critical Thinking in
Psychological Science
Start with curiosity
Ask specific questions to get meaningful
answers
Phrase as hypotheses
Always be skeptical

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Careers in psychology

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The
End
Wednesday

Critical Thinking in Psychology

Consider: When taking a test and checking an answer you
arent sure of, should you change the answer?

The

End

Remember:
Feel free to ask questions
now by coming to the
front!

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