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of psychology continue to shape the field。
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1。 What do students hope to get from your class？ “Why are you here； today； in this course？” This is a
great way to start class； because it gets students involved in issues and ideas that interest them。
2。 What role does the scientific method play in contemporary psychology？ What are the limitations of
the scientific method； and are there any better alternatives available？ Students are often skeptical of
the scientific method and are eager to point out its flaws； such as the slow incremental progress it
generates； its reliance on measurable phenomena； its susceptibility to experimenter biases； and its
sterile methodology。 Students often fail to realize； however； that； although flawed； the scientific
method is the best tool we have to generate valid； reliable knowledge and that it has provided us
with a wealth of discoveries。
3。 Is the importance of psychological knowledge likely to increase or decrease in our postmodern
world？ Experimental psychology is still a baby； only a little over 100 years old。 As such； there is
incredible room for psychology to grow in terms of both sophistication and diversification。 As the
speed at which the world changes continues to increase； humans will be forced to respond to these
changes not through slow evolutionary changes； but through rapid psychological adjustments。
Evolution via natural selection may no longer operate fast enough to allow us to adapt to the
rapidly changing world that we have created。 Within this context； psychology； and psychological
adaptation； is certain to play a more prominent role。
4。 What psychological principles have bee part of the larger culture； have penetrated our thinking
and language？ Psychological principles permeate advertising； marketing； television； movies； sales；
self…help books； fashion； politics； and folk wisdom； to name a few； but students are often unaware of
this influence。 Pointing out this influence is a good way to keep your students’ interest。 For
example； the concept of “psychological stress；” so prevalent in our cultural landscape； was rarely
mentioned 50 years ago。
5。 Ask your students how many of them believe in determinism。 Then ask them how many of them
believe in free will。 Insist that they cannot have it both ways。 You will be surprised to find that
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CHAPTER 1： THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN YOUR LIFE
many； if not most； students believe in free will。 This is a terrific discussion starter； because it
conflicts with one of the fundamental assumptions of science and psychology； determinism。 You
might ask your students what science can hope to reveal if the world is not determined。 You might
also suggest that what feels like free will to us may be thinly disguised determinism。 This simple
discussion is often enough to change the manner in which students view themselves and the
manner in which they view those around them。
SUPPLEMENTAL LECTURE MATERIAL
Clinical Psychology versus Psychiatry
Because clinical psychology； a subfield of psychology； and psychiatry are both professions that deal with
matters of mind and behavior； the public often confuses them。 The major distinction is in the type of
advanced training received in each profession。 Psychiatry is a medical specialty requiring an M。D。 and
additional study； while clinical psychology is considered part of an academic discipline that requires a
Ph。D。 from an accredited graduate program。 Although medical training is not required； clinical psychology
graduate programs are one of the； if not the； most difficult graduate programs to be accepted into； including
law； business； and medical school。 Psychiatrists’ medical training allows them to prescribe drugs and tends
to lead them to more biologically based explanations for abnormal behavior than those to which
psychologists often adhere。 Most states do not allow psychologists to prescribe medication； although some
are pushing for a change。 In general； psychiatrists are professional therapists who treat patients with
mental and emotional problems in either a hospital or private practice setting。 With few exceptions；
psychiatrists are more likely to be practitioners than researchers。
The basic model of training for psychiatrists is the medical model； which focuses on underlying
physiological problems； such as imbalances in neurotransmitters； brain lesions that can be treated
medically； or “mental disease” that can be cured in much the same way that an infection can be cured。
Clinical psychologists receive training in human behavior； they are taught to look at the chain of events
leading to specific behaviors and the resultant behaviors and outes； relative to the impact of those
behaviors on the individual client and on the client’s social environment。
Training in clinical psychology can prepare the student for a career as a researcher and scholar （often
bined with teaching at a university）； or in any number of areas of applied psychology。 Clinical
psychologists； like psychiatrists； are usually therapists； treating clients in either hospitals or private
practice。 Assessment of psychological disturbance by means of various standardized tests is one task of the
clinical psychologist。 A psychoanalyst may be a psychiatrist； a psychologist； or other college graduate that
has received specialized training at a psychoanalytic institute where the ideas and therapeutic methods of
Freud and his followers are taught。 It requires that the prospective therapist undergo personal
psychoanalysis as well。
9
PSYCHOLOGY AND LIFE
Class Exercise： Psychology’s Goals Applied to Matchmaking
（This class exercise was adapted from an Experience Break originally included in Psychology and Life； 15th
Edition； by Philip Zimbardo and Richard Gerrig。）
Based only on the descriptions provided below； ask your class to guess which pairs of the people listed
below belong together。 There are no right or wrong answers—tell them to go with their instincts。
David
Age： 21
Job： Car mechanic
Enjoys： Gourmet food
Dana
Age： 23
Job： Advertising executive
Enjoys： Movies
Chris
Age： 29
Job： Dog groomer
Enjoys： Gardening
Anita
Age： 35
Job： Lawyer
Enjoys： Roller coasters
Sandy
Age： 54
Job： Flight attendant
Enjoys： Hang gliding
Karen
Age： 18
Job： Sales clerk
Enjoys： Art museums
Jamie
Age： 20
Job： Secretary
Enjoys： Football
Pat
Age： 56
Job： Pediatrician
Enjoys： Opera
Tony
Age： 37
Job： College professor
Enjoys： ic books
Rahul
Age： 22
Job： Store manager
Enjoys： Scuba diving
Now lead your class in a discussion of their matchmaking decisions with respect to the goals of
psychology：
。 How would they describe the behaviors they engaged in while trying to settle on appropriate
matches？
Did they read all the descriptions before they began？ Did they find the decisions easy to make？ Did they
change their mind several times？
。 How would they explain their behavior？
What rules do they believe they used to match up the couples？ Were they most concerned about
age？ About occupations？ About leisure activities？ Did they use some bination of all three
descriptions？ What inferences did they make in their decisions； such as perceived gender？ What
does the factor（s） that they used most say about them personally and their selection of a partner？
。 How might their explanation allow them to predict which real…world relationships would succeed？
Suppose that based on their day…to…day observations of relationships； they focused on occupations
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CHAPTER 1： THE SCIENCE OF PSYCHOLOGY IN YOUR LIFE
while doing their matchmaking。 Are they willing to generalize from the predictions they made on
this task to predictions in the real world？ Can they begin to imagine the types of research they
might carry out to test those predictions？
。 Does their explanation allow them to control or improve their own relationship…seeking behavior or
to give better advice to others？
Have they learned from this exercise what matters most to them in a relationship？ What more
would th