Introduction to Psychology

A Scientific Discipline

Prof. Jan Lauwereyns

jan@sls.kyushu-u.ac.jp
The odds are the same,
but people choose different actions...
Why?
 fMRI data
blood flow in the brain

The odds are the same,

but people choose different actions...
Why?
 fMRI data
blood 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?
The odds are the same,
but people choose different actions...
Why? Loss aversion
GREEN
GREEN
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 The Stroop effect
Reaction Time

GREEN
 The Stroop effect
Reaction Time

GREEN GREEN
 The Stroop effect
Reaction Time

GREEN XXXXX GREEN

 The Stroop effect
Reaction Time

facilitation

GREEN XXXXX GREEN

 The Stroop effect

inhibition
Reaction Time

facilitation

GREEN XXXXX GREEN

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