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and Group…Think 
Test Bank: 
Questions 18。118。154 
Practice Tests: 
Chapter 18 
Study Guide: 
Chapter 18 
Transparencies: 
Soc 11 
Soc 12 
Discovering Psychology 
Video: 
Program 26: Cultural 
Psychology 
Digital Media Archive 
v2。0 
Topic 13: Social 
Psychology 
Aggression (p。 571) 
Evolutionary Perspectives 
Individual Differences 
Situational Influences 
Cultural Constraints 
Supplemental Lecture 
Material: 
Cults 
Video: Insights into 
Violence 
Prejudice (p。 578) 
Origins of Prejudice 
Effects of Stereotypes 
Reversing Prejudice 
Supplemental Lecture 
Material: 
Prejudice 
Suggestions for Reducing 
Racism 
Overt Racism 
Covert Racism 
Digital Media Archive 
v2。0 
Topic 13: Social 
Psychology 
The Psychology of Conflict 
and Peace (p。 583) 
Obedience to Authority 
The Psychology of 
Genocide and War 
Peace Psychology 
Learning Objectives: 
Demonstrate knowledge 
of the tenets of 
environmental 
psychology。 
Discussion Questions: 
Discuss the promise that 
social psychology and 
psychology in general 
hold for improving our 
world 
Transparencies: 
Soc 09 
Soc 10 
Additional Resources Biological Profiles 
Solomon Asch 
Stanley Milgram 
Muzafer Sherif 
Interactive Web Site and 
panion Web Site at: 
ablongman/ 
gerrig 

357 


CHAPTER 1 
The Science of Psychology in Your Life 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 

On pletion of this chapter; students should be able to: 

1。 Explain why the study of psychology is important 
2。 Define what Psychology is and identify what topics psychologists address 
3。 Define Behavior and the methods psychologists use to study it 
4。 Explain psychology’s relationship to sociology and social; biological; cognitive; and health
sciences
5。 Identify the goals of psychology (To Describe; Explain; Predict; and Control behavior。 And; for the 
applied psychologist; to use this knowledge to improve the quality of human life) 
6。 Briefly explicate the historical development of modern psychology 
7。 Define structuralism and functionalism; and the conflict between these peting views 
8。 Describe the conceptual approaches that dominate contemporary psychology (Biological;
Psychodynamic; Behavioristic; Humanistic; Cognitive; Evolutionary; and Cultural)
9。 Understand how social and technological changes influence the questions asked and research 
methods used by psychologists 
CHAPTER OUTLINE 

I。 The Main Purposes of Psychology and Life; 16th Edition 
A。 To guide you on an empirically rigorous journey through the intricacies of your human experience; 
to give you greater control over the forces that shape your life 
II。What Makes Psychology Unique? 
A。 Basic Definitions 
1。 Psychology: The scientific study of the behavior of individuals and their mental 
processes 
2。 The Scientific Method: The scientific method consists of a set of orderly steps 
used to analyze and solve problems 
3。 Behavior: The means and actions by which organisms; including both animals 
and humans; adjust to their environment 
4。 Mental Processes: The private; internal workings of the human mind 
B。 The Goals of Psychology 
1。 The goals of the psychologist conducting basic research are to Describe; 
Explain; Predict; and Control behavior。 Applied psychologists have a fifth 
goal; to improve the quality of human life。 
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CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN YOUR LIFE 

2。 Describing Behavior: The first task of the psychologist is to make accurate 
observations about behavior 
a) In collecting behavioral data; which are reports of observations about 
the behavior of organisms and the conditions under which the 
behavior occurs; psychologists must ensure objectivity and choose an 
appropriate level of analysis 

b) Level of analysis refers to whether the observations concern broad; 
general and global aspects or whether the observations concern 
minute details of the object under study 

c) Objectivity refers to a desire to collect facts as they really exist; not as 
we hope them to exist。 Objectivity helps ensure that subjective personal 
biases; prejudices; and expectations do not distort data collected。 

C。 Explaining Behavior requires that explanations deliberately go beyond what can be observed。 
Psychological explanations for behavior often recognize that organismic; dispositional; and 
situational (or environmental) variables each play a role in determining behavior。 
1。 Organismic variables operate within the individual; such as genetic makeup; 
motivation; intelligence; and self…esteem 
2。 Dispositional variables are organismic variables that exist within humans 
3。 Situational (or environmental) variables are external events that influence 
behavior 
D。 Predicting Behavior involves statements about the likelihood that a certain behavior will occur or 
that a given relationship will be found 
1。 Scientific prediction is based on an understanding of the ways events relate to 
one another; and suggests what mechanisms link those events to certain 
predictors 
2。 Causal prediction specifies conditions under which behaviors will change 
E。 Controlling behavior is the central; most powerful goal of many psychologists。 Controlling 
behavior means causing a behavior to happen or not to happen and influencing the nature of the 
behavior as it is being performed。 
F。 Improving the Quality of Life is the result of the first four goals of psychology。 All therapeutic 
programs and interventions; such as those designed to help individuals stop smoking; stop doing 
drugs; or lose weight; are attempts to use psychological principles to control behavior。 Psychological 
principles can be used not only to help individuals live more successfully; but also to improve the 
functioning of groups of people and societies。 
III。 The Evolution of Modern Psychology 
A。 At the core of this historical review is one simple principle: Ideas Matter。 Ideas influence the 
manner in which people think; feel; and behave; and; ultimately; the manner in which they lead their 
lives。 
B。 Psychology’s Historical Foundations 
1。 In 1879; in Leipiz; Germany; Wilhelm Wundt founded the first formal 
laboratory devoted to experimental psychology 
3 


PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE 

2。 In 1883; the first experimental psychology laboratory in the United States was 
founded at Johns Hopkins University by G。 Stanley Hall 
3。 Edward Titchener; a student of Wundt; became an influential early 
psychologist with his laboratory at Cornell University 
4。 In 1890; William James; brother of novelist Henry James; wrote the two…volume 
work; The Principles of Psychology; which many experts consider the most 
important psychology text ever written 
5。 In 1892; G。 Stanley Hall founded the American Psychological Association 
6。 With the emergence of the field of experimental psychology; debate began over 
the proper methods and subject matter of the new field。 Two important 
opposing ideas were structuralism and functionalism。 
C。 Structuralism: The Contents of the Mind 
1。 Edward Titchener used a method for examining the elements of conscious 
mental life called introspection to understand the “what” of mental contents; 
rather than the “why” or “how” of thinking。 Titchener’s approach came to be 
known as structuralism; the study of the structure of mind and behavior。 
2。 Structuralism was based on the assumption that all human mental experience 
could be understood as the bination of simple events or elements 
3。 The goal of structuralism was to reveal the underlying structure of the human 
mind by analyzing the basic elements of sensation and other experiences that 
form mental life。 Titchener hoped to create a periodic table of mental elements; 
similar to the periodic table of physical elements used by chemists and 
physicists。 
4。 Structuralism was attacked primarily on three grounds: 
a) It was reductionistic because it reduced all plex human experience 
to simple sensations 

b) It was elemental because it sought to bine parts into a whole 
rather than study the variety of behaviors directly 

c) It was mentalistic because it studied only verbal reports of human 
conscious awareness; ignoring the study of individuals who could not 
describe their introspections; including animals; children; and the 
mentally disturbed 

5。 One alternative to structuralism; pioneered by the German psychologist Max 
Wertheimer; focused on the way in which the mind understands experiences 
as gestalts—organized wholes—rather than the sums of simple parts。 Gestalt 
psychology will be discussed in Chapter 5。 
6。 A second major opposition to structuralism was functionalism 
D。 Functionalism: Minds with a Purpose 
1。 William James disagreed that mental life was posed of simple events or 
elements that; when added together; formed mental life。 Instead; he viewed 
mental life as a stream of consciousness; a system in continual interaction with 
the environment。 
2。 Functionalism focused on learned habits that enable organisms to adapt to 
their environment and to function effectively。 The essential question for 
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CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN YOUR LIFE 

functionalists was “What is the func

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