Psychology

Psychology? 2 ? September 5, 2008 Turn Off Your Cellphones Today Admin Associations Areas of psychology Three philosophical issues Nature-nurture Determinism vs. free will Mind or body Critical thinking principles Admin 1 Exam dates again Exam 1: Friday, October 3rd Exam 2: Friday, October 31st Exam 3: Tuesday, December 9th Optional Cumulative Final Exam: Monday, December 15th, 12:00-1:30 Admin 2 TA: Michael Kuang TA email: mkuang1@rci.rutgers.edu TA office hours: Tuesdays, 11:30 ? 1:00 pm & by appointment TA office location Tillett 515 TA talking Admin 3 ? RPUs & Sona Go to http://researchpool.rutgers.edu/ Request an account, but BE CAREFUL to choose the correct course: 101:05 Mayhew Admin 4 Who is responsible for getting information imparted in missed classes ? you, please don?t email me. Repeat of my philosophy on powerpoints Associations w/ ?psychology? ?Dividing? psychologists Psychologists in teaching and research Service providers to individuals Service providers to organizations Psychologists in teaching & research Developmental psychology Learning and motivation Cognitive psychology Biological psychology Evolutionary psychology Social & cross-cultural psychology Service providers to individuals Clinical psychologists [Psychiatrists ? these folks are medical doctors] Counseling psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses Psychoanalysts Service providers to organizations Forensic psychology Industrial/organizational psychology Ergonomics School psychology Three philosophical debates Nature ? nurture Actions more attributable to genes, or environment? Free will ? determinism Actions freely chosen or caused by factors outside our control? Mind ? body Actions due just to brain & nervous system or also immaterial soul? Nature - nurture Video of Rhesus monkeys fostered ? an illustration of a nature ? nurture investigation Video about sexual orientation Free will vs. Determinism Determinism ? everything that happens has a cause, or a determinant Free will ? person has the capacity to choose actions that do not have a prior determinant Mind - body Actions due just to brain & nervous system or also immaterial soul? Psychology just deals with the material, measurable, so it assumes monism i.e. mind is brain in action. Critical Thinking Principles Critical thinking is the basis of science #1: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence #2: Falsifiability #3: Occam's Razor (KISS principle) #4: Replicability #5: Ruling Out Rival Hypotheses #6: Correlation Is Not Causation For Next Time Study critical thinking principles & the deadly sins of pseudoscience carefully Print out the handout to allow you to make notes next time (handout will be online by Sunday). What we looked at Your associations with ?psychology? Areas of psychology Three philosophical issues Nature-nurture Determinism vs. free will Mind or body Critical thinking principles