Lesson 1 Flashcards
(30 cards)
What does the word science derive from?
The Latin word scientia, which means knowledge.
Define methodology in the context of psychological science.
The scientific technique used to collect and evaluate psychological data.
What is commonsense psychology?
Everyday nonscientific collection of psychological data used to understand the social world and guide our behavior.
What are the steps involved in the scientific method?
Gathering and verifying information, answering questions, explaining relationships, and communicating feelings.
What is the scientific mentality?
The psychologist’s goal of prediction rests on the assumption that behavior must follow a natural order.
What is empirical data?
Data that are observable or experienced.
What do modern scientists seek beyond cataloging observations?
They propose general principles—laws or theories—that will explain observations.
Define laws in a scientific context.
General scientific principles that explain our universe and predict events.
What characterizes good thinking in science?
Organized and rational thought, characterized by open-mindedness, objectivity, and parsimony.
What is parsimony?
The principle that the simplest explanation is preferred until ruled out by conflicting evidence.
What does self-correction entail in modern science?
Accepting the uncertainty of their own conclusions.
What is falsification?
To challenge an existing explanation or theory by testing a hypothesis and demonstrating that it is false.
Why do scientists publicize results?
To exchange information about their current work through professional and special interest groups.
What is replication in scientific research?
The process of repeating research procedures to verify that the outcome will be the same as before.
Define observation in psychological science.
The systematic noting and recording of events.
What does measurement refer to in psychological science?
The scientific estimation of the quantity, size, or quality of an observable event.
What is experimentation?
The process undertaken to discover something new or to demonstrate that events will occur again under specified conditions.
What is a testable hypothesis?
A hypothesis that is capable of being tested.
What two requirements must be met for a hypothesis to be testable?
- Procedures for manipulating the setting must exist
- The predicted outcome must be observable
What does scientific explanation involve?
Specifying the antecedent conditions of an event or behavior.
Define antecedent conditions.
All circumstances that occur or exist before the event or behavior to be explained.
What is a subject in psychological research?
The scientific term for an individual who participates in research.
What is a treatment in the context of an experiment?
A specific set of antecedent conditions created by the experimenter to test its effect on behavior.
What is a psychology experiment?
A controlled procedure in which at least two different treatment conditions are applied to subjects.
