History & Approaches

🧠 History & Approaches to Psychology

Part 1 of 7 — Origins of Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It emerged as a distinct discipline in the late 19th century.

Key Milestones

Wundt is considered the "father of psychology" for establishing the first experimental laboratory.

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Early Schools of Thought

Structuralism (Wundt, Titchener)

• Goal: identify basic elements of consciousness
• Method: introspection (trained self-observation)
• Criticism: too subjective, not replicable

Functionalism (William James)

• Goal: understand the purpose of consciousness
• Influenced by Darwin's theory of evolution
• Asked: "How does behavior help us adapt?"
• Led to applied psychology and educational psychology

Gestalt Psychology (Wertheimer)

• "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts"
• Studied perception and how we organize sensory information
• Principles: proximity, similarity, closure, continuity

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Modern Psychological Perspectives

Biopsychosocial Approach

Modern psychology recognizes that behavior results from the interaction of:

• Biological factors (genetics, brain chemistry)
• Psychological factors (thoughts, emotions, personality)

Research Methods in Psychology

The Scientific Method

1. Observe a phenomenon
2. Form a hypothesis (testable prediction)
3. Design and conduct an experiment
4. Analyze data using statistics
5. Draw conclusions and replicate

Types of Research

Descriptive Statistics

Measures of Central Tendency

Measures of Variability

Normal Distribution

• Bell-shaped curve
• Mean = median = mode
• ~68% of scores within 1 SD of mean
• ~95% within 2 SD
• ~99.7% within 3 SD

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Ethics in Psychological Research

APA Ethical Guidelines

1. Informed consent: participants must know what the study involves
2. Deception: allowed only when necessary, must debrief afterward
3. Confidentiality: protect participants' personal information
4. Right to withdraw: participants can leave at any time
5. Debriefing: explain the true purpose of the study afterward
6. Minimize harm: avoid physical and psychological harm

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

• Reviews all research proposals involving human subjects
• Ensures ethical standards are met
• Weighs potential benefits against risks

Famous Ethical Controversies

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Animal Research Ethics

Research Methods Problem-Solving

Common AP Question Types

1. Identify variables in an experiment (IV, DV, confounds)
2. Choose the appropriate research method for a scenario
3. Interpret statistical results (mean, SD, p-value)
4. Identify ethical violations in research scenarios
5. Distinguish correlation from causation

Practice Scenario

A researcher wants to know if sleep deprivation affects memory. She randomly assigns 40 college students to either a sleep-deprived group (4 hours) or a control group (8 hours), then tests their memory the next day.

• IV: Amount of sleep (4 hours vs 8 hours)
• DV: Memory test scores
• Random assignment: Yes → can establish causation
• Potential confound: Prior sleep habits, caffeine use

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Tips

• Always identify IV and DV first
• Check for random assignment before claiming causation
• Look for confounding variables
• Remember: correlation ≠ causation
• Consider both reliability AND validity

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AP Psychology: History & Methods Review

Key Comparisons

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AP Exam Tips

• Know the key figures and their contributions
• Be able to design an experiment from a research question
• Understand the difference between correlation and causation
• Know ethical guidelines and famous ethical controversies