1. What are some of the historical roots of modern psychology? Are we any closer to understanding human behavior today than we were 100 years ago? 1,000 years ago?
Psychology's historical roots are in philosophy and the natural sciences of biology and physiology. It was a philosopher-physician (Wilhem Wundt) who pieced together these disciplines to form the academic discipline of psychology. We are closer to understanding human behavior today than in the past and it is an exiting time to be a psychologist with many new discoveries taking place from the brain's role in behavior to how we think to why people develop mental disorders to why we love or hate.

2. What are the main differences between philosophy and psychology? Aren't both disciplines attempting to answer similar, fundamental questions about human existence?
Both psychologists and philosophers are intrigued by many of the same questions, such as: How do people acquire knowledge? Does information come to us through our senses and the environment, or is it inborn? However, psychologists seek more concrete evidence about thinking and behavior than philosophers do. Psychologists use the scientific method to obtain information about phenomena; philosophers do not.

3. I thought psychologists either treated people with mental disorders or ran rats through mazes. What else do psychologists do?
Psychology is a multifaceted discipline. At last count, psychology had 51 different divisions. These include some of the traditional areas of psychology like clinical psychology and experimental psychology but they also include such areas as peace psychology, the psychology of religion, psychology of women, health psychology, exercise and sport psychology, and many others.

4. Even if I do not plan on becoming a psychologist or a psychiatrist, how will my learning about the field of psychology help me in the future?
Psychology doesn't promise to answer all of life's questions and solve all of your problems, but is a relevant science. It can help you become more knowledgeable about coping with stress, why you and others behave the way they do, how to learn and think more effectively, what motivates people, what peoples' emotional lives are like, the key dimensions of personality, and why people are prejudiced? Thus, psychology can help you become a more informed individual about many of life's domains.

5. What do you see as some important emerging issues in psychology in the 21st century?
One in particular might be psychology's role in defining what it means to be a human being. Because of cyberspace and technology's potential for controlling what people think on the one hand and biology's progress in changing the genome, the qualities of being human will be up for grabs more. Another issue also relates to technology: What are the best ways for technology to be used to help people construct their learning and thinking?

6. What are the major virtues of science? How does a scientific approach differ from a commonsense approach?
Science is objective, systematic, and testable, reducing the probability that our interpretation of information will be based on personal beliefs, opinions, and emotions. Personal experiences don't always give us valid information. Through its careful techniques, science seeks to provide accurate information.

7. In survey methods, how can we be sure that the respondents are answering honestly?
Getting honest answers and determining whether a person is lying or is giving answers that are socially desirable can be problems when surveys and questionnaires are used to obtain data. However, in some instances, psychologists include lie scales and/or social desirability scales to determine the honesty of peoples' responses.

8. Does a correlation between two variables imply a cause-and-effect relationship?
No it does not. Correlation means related to, linked with, and associated with but not "causes. " In correlation research, the strength of the relation between two or more events is determined, but not whether one of these events causes the other(s).

9. How skeptical should I be of psychology-related information presented in the media?
You should be very skeptical. Some of the psychology information in the media is presented in a competent way, but in other cases it is sensationalized and misinterpreted. Think critically about psychology information in the media and use what you learn in this course to help you sort through how accurate and scientifically sound the media reports are.