Chapter 1 - Psychology and Scientific Thinking Flashcards
Psychology
-the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour
Levels of Analysis
-rungs on a ladder of analysis, with lower levels tied most closely to biological influences and higher levels tied most closely to social influences
-looking at the mind/behaviour from many different perspectives
Social Culture Influences (Level of Analysis)
-analysis of the social/behavioural level
-relating to others and personal relationships
-ie. how people behave differently when they are alone vs. when they are in a group
Psychological (Level of Analysis)
-analysis of the mental or neurological level
-involves thoughts, feelings, and emotions
Biological (Level of Analysis)
-analysis of the molecular or neurochemical level
-involves molecules and brain structure
-ie. looking at what regions of the brain are more active in certain situations
Multiply Determined
-one of the factors that makes psychology hard to study
-means that certain things are caused by many factors
-psychology is not a linear concept
-psychological processes have many influences and contributing factors
-ie. violence is not controlled solely by poverty or genes
Psychological Phenomena are Dependent
-one of the factors that makes psychology hard to study
-you can’t only look at one aspect as many things affect and rely on other events
Individual Differences
-one of the factors that makes psychology hard to study
-there are variations among people in thinking, emotion, personality, and behaviour
-these differences can be major or minor
-ie. when looking at results we say “on average” which means usually and not always (accounts for variation)
Influence of Others
-one of the factors that makes psychology hard to study
-it is difficult to pin down what causes what
-reciprocal determinism
Reciprocal Determinism
-the fact that we mutually influence each other’s behaviour
-makes it difficult to isolate the causes of human behaviour
-ie. if one person gets up to grab a mint, others will usually follow
Behaviour is Shaped by Culture
-one of the factors that makes psychology hard to study
-limits generalizations
-emic and etic approaches
-ie. Westerners view emotion as stemming from the individual whereas Easterners see individual emotions as being tied to the group
Emic Approach
-researches study the behaviour of a culture from the perspective of an insider/native
-makes it hard to draw generalizations
-easier to observe the full picture
Etic Approach
-researches study the behaviour of a culture from the perspective of an outsider
-makes it easy to recognize the distinct cultural identity
-compare how different people think about things
Common Sense
-our gut intuitions
We Can’t Always Trust Common Sense
-you can’t always trust what you see
-we don’t always notice contradictions until they get pointed out
Naïve Realism
-belief that we see the world precisely as it is
-people are prone to this concept
-we should usually trust our perceptions, although sometimes they can be deceiving
-ie. the sun seems to revolve around the earth but the earth is actually the one spinning
When our common sense is right…
-sometimes our intuition is correct
-ie. deciding if someone is trustworthy or untrustworthy
-helpful in generating hypothesis
-there is a chance our intuition is wrong, hence why we need to test it scientifically
Psychology as a Science
-a systemic approach to evidence
-gather and evaluate evidence
Why use a scientific approach?
-to minimize bias: anything that influences results
Empirical Evidence
-evidence gained through experience and observation
Scientific Theory
-an explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world
-ties multiple findings together into one package
-subject to change upon new evidence discovery
Hypothesis
-testable prediction derived from a scientific theory
-necessary for a theory to be scientific
Misconception #1 of Scientific Theories
-a theory explains one specific event
-doesn’t generate testable predictions
Misconception #2 of Scientific Theories
-a theory is just an educated guess
-there is evidence, even if not entirely proven
How does science safeguard bias?
-scientists have their own biases too
-good ones recognize their biases and work hard to prevent their interference
-scientific methods in psych are designed to gather evidence in a way that prevents bias
Observer Bias
-one influences the interpretation of results
-possible if they are even aware of the bias
Confirmation Bias
-the tendency to seek out evidence that supports our hypothesis and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them
-people will focus on what they want to see
-the “mother of all biases”
-ie. once you have a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail
Belief Perseverance
-tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them
Metaphysical Claims
-assertions about the world that are not testable
-it doesn’t mean the claims are wrong
-science can’t answer everything
-ie. god
Pseudoscience
-misleading evidence
-a set of claims that seem scientific but are not
Exaggerated Claims
-a warning sign of pseudoscience
-ie. 3 simple steps will change your love life forever
Over-reliance on Anecdotes
-a warning sign of pseudoscience
-ie. this woman practices yoga daily for 3 weeks and hasn’t had a day of depression since
Ad Hoc Immunizing Hypothesis
-escape hatch or loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification
-ie. the vibes are interfering with an experiment
