Post on 18-Jan-2018
Introduction to Psychology
A Scientific Discipline
Prof. Jan Lauwereyns
jan@sls.kyushu-u.ac.jp
http://www.sls.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~dubito/links
Look under “Classes”
Check “Psychology”
The odds are the same,but people choose different actions...Why?
The odds are the same,but people choose different actions...Why?
fMRI datablood flow in the brain
The odds are the same,but people choose different actions...Why?
fMRI datablood flow in the brain
The odds are the same,but people choose different actions...Why?
The odds are the same,but people choose different actions...Why? Loss aversion
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The Stroop effect
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The Stroop effect
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The Stroop effect
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facilitation
The Stroop effect
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facilitation
inhibition
The Stroop effect
Stimulus-Response Compatibility
The scientific approach• Limitations of intuition and
authority• Skepticism, science and the
empirical approach• Cumulative knowledge• Integrating intuition, skepticism
and authority
Karl Popper, All Life is Problem Solving (1999)
from (PS1) Problem Situation to (TT) Tentative Theories to (EE) Error Elimination to (PS2) ...more and more interesting problems
The Goals of Science• Description of behavior
– Careful observation; follow a protocol• Prediction of behavior
– Prediction & anticipation makes for prevention, intervention…
• Determining the causes of behavior– Temporal precedence– Co-variation of cause and effect– Alternative explanations
• Explanation of behavior– Deep questions (why?!)
Hypotheses & Predictions• From Hypothesis to Prediction
– Put ideas in something like a formula– A statement about something that may
be true – Turn into a prediction ready for testing
• Hypothesis: “Dopamine is a neurotransmitter related to reward”
• Prediction: “Dopamine neurons will be more active in case of a large reward than in case of a small reward”
Hypotheses & Predictions• Hypothesis: “A brain-dead person has
no consciousness”• Prediction: “A brain-dead person
cannot respond to sensory stimuli of any kind”
(… but what about stories of people who came back from a deep coma, and claimed they heard what people were saying?)
(... What is a convincing test?)
Supporting versus proving…
• Null hypothesis H0
– The means of different conditions are equal
– A very precise statement
• Research hypothesis H1
– The means are in fact different– The power of statistics
• My favorite experiments• Try to understand the design
• What do they manipulate?Independent variables
• What do they measure?Dependent variables
• What can you conclude?
Effects of methamphetamine(METH) (speed)
Effects of methamphetamine(METH) (speed)
Strength