Midterm 1 - Lecture 1 (CH1) Flashcards
(31 cards)
Definition of Psychology:
The scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour
2 ways we can explain behaviour:
- Scientific Method
- “Un-scientific” Non-Data-Driven Methods
Scientific Method - Critical Thinking:
- Critical Thinking: the ability and willingness to evaluate the truth and/or completion of one’s knowledge, to seek evidence before declaring something truth, to evaluate that evidence before accepting/rejecting it
- Not the only way of knowing, but it’s a common way of psychology
What do quantitative research methods give us?
A common language and set of tools to guide & encourage critical thinking
Critical Thinking - Scientific Skepticism:
- Keep an open mind to all claims
- Accept only claims that have been tested (properly & in many different ways)
- Re-evaluate claims when presented with new evidence (keep on keeping an open mind)
“Unscientific” (4 non-data-driven methods)
- Folk wisdom (“eating salt to have boys”)
- Common Sense (“if it’s raining, bring an umbrella”)
- Authority (Experts)
- Intuition: A thing that no one knows or considers likely from an instinctive feeling rather than conscious reasoning
The only unifying characteristic of modern psychology is…
the quest to understand behavior by using the methods of science
The defining feature [of psychology] is
That it is the data-based scientific study of behavior”
3 Key Characteristics of Science (SUMMARY)
LECTURE
- Systematic Empiricism
- Production of Public Knowledge (or Communality & Organized Skepticism)
- Search for Solvable Problems (or Empirically Solvable Problems/Disinterestedness?)
Systematic Empiricism (3 Key Characteristics of Science)
- Majorly interested in the relationships between observations which can tell us about how the world works
- Only if systemically organized
- However, they might be things we can’t observe at all (EX: is there a god? - how can you measure this?)
Production of Public Knowledge/Communality (3 Key Characteristics of Science)
- Good scientific research needs to be transparently (truthfully) reported to the scientific public
- Full disclosure of methods, data, & results
- Must have other independent researchers
attempt same/similar studies (replication) - Exact Replication (testing to produce similar results)
- Conceptual Replication (testing if hypotheses can generalize to different groups, contexts, etc.)
Empirically Solvable Problems
- Science relies on empirical observation
- Therefore, can only deal with problems that have potential empirical solutions (in gathering data that can prove one’s assertion is true or false)
- Theories/hypotheses must be testable (falsifiable) using empirical observations
(EX: not “is there a God”, but “how does the idea of God affect human behaviour?”
What is Pseudo-Science?
A body of knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific or made to appear scientific, but does not adhere to the scientific method. Often used to sell a product, services, or therapies
How can we identify Pseudo-Science? (7)
- Exaggerated claims without strong evidence
- Overreliance on anecdotal evidence
- Psychobabble – sounds scientific
- Claims of scientific proof but no link to actual research
- Absence of adequate peer review
- Lack of self-correction
- Unfalsifiable claims
What is falsifiability?
Falsifiability: the logical possibility that an assertion/claim could be shown to be false by a particular observation or physical experiment.
Does “falsifiable” imply PROVE right/wrong?
NO! If something is “falsifiable” does not mean it is false; rather, it means that if the statement/claim were false, then its falsehood could be demonstrated/proved
Unfalsifiable Claims
Unfalsifiable claim: A claim for which NO evidence can be provided to prove the claim false (even if it is false); Does not mean a hypothesis is surely false
Why do we need science?
- To question our assumptions and pursue truth through systemic observation
- Provides us with ways to gather evidence, which can shape our beliefs about answers to curious questions
Why study research methods (4 reasons)?
- Understanding research methods can help you become an informed consumer of news, health care, products, and services
- Can give you an edge for careers
- Can help you be an informed and engaging citizen and participate in debates regarding public policy
- Helps you evaluate programs in your community that you might want to participate in or even implement
What are the 3 methods of acquiring knowledge?
- Intuition
- Authority
- The Scientific Method
Intuition (Methods of acquiring knowledge)
- Using anecdotal evidence to draw general conclusions
- Otherwise, immediately accepting your opinion - or another’s - as the universally right answer (justifying your own answers)
- EX: “love arrives when one isn’t seeking it”
Cons of using intuition (Methods of acquiring knowledge)
- Many cognitive and motivational biases affect our perceptions, meaning we can arrive at incorrect conclusions
- Illusory Correlation: when two events occur closely in time, drawing our attention - thus causing us to conclude a false “cause & effect” between them (falling in love example - if someone were to stop looking for love, and end up not finding any love in the process (contradicting the belief), we don’t notice this inconsistency)
- Also likely to occur when we’re highly motivated to belief a certain relationship is true
Authority (Methods of acquiring knowledge)
- When we make a decision based on authority, we place our trust in someone else who we think knows more than we do (EX: being younger, and trusting parents to know what’s best; as adults, we trust professionals - doctors, scientists, even pop culture: news, books, government officials
- Such blind trust can be problematic
(EX: many healthcare workers are prone to drawing incorrect conclusions from statistics regarding health) - The scientific approach rejects the notion that one can accept on faith the statements of any authority
The Scientific Method (Methods of acquiring knowledge)
- Scientific method of acquiring knowledge acknowledges that both intuition and authority can be useful for INITIAL ideas about behaviour
- However, it does not accept these ideas as truth without FURTHER EVIDENCE; Scientific Skepticism
