Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which sufferers repeatedly experience unwanted involuntary thoughts, feelings or sensations (obsessions) and are driven to perform repetitive behaviors (compulsions) with the intention of reducing obsession-related anxiety. Continue reading
The Stanford Prison Experiment, conducted in August 1971 by Philip Zimbardo, remains one of the most infamous and unethical studies ever conducted in the field of psychology. Continue reading
This lecture provides an overview of the major research methods used by psychologists in their study of behavior and mental processes. Included among these are naturalistic and participant observation, survey designs, case studies, correlational designs and experimental designs. A brief description of each research design is provided, along with simple examples to aid in understanding the material.
This popular illusion created by Nobuyuki Kayahara in 2003, shows the spinning silhouette of a female dancer. If the viewer’s perception is that the foot touching the floor is the left foot, then the dancer appears to be spinning in a clockwise direction. If the foot touching the floor is perceived to be the right foot, then the dancer seems to be spinning in a counterclockwise direction. Continue reading
Stereotype threat describes the experience of “being at risk of confirming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype of one’s group” (Steel & Aronson, 1995). Continue reading
