Psychology Chapter: Science vs. Pseudoscience

Empirical vs. Ordinary Knowing

• Empirical knowing relies on systematic observation, evidence, and experimentation (like science).
• Ordinary knowing uses subjective methods like personal experiences, intuitions, authority (trusting credible sources), consensus (popular agreement), and logical speculation.

Science vs. Pseudoscience

• Science characteristics:

  • Evidence-based
  • Falsifiable (able to be proven wrong)
  • Systematic and testable

• Pseudoscience characteristics:

  • Lacks falsifiability
  • Relies on anecdotal evidence
  • Resistant to change despite new evidence
  • Overemphasizes confirmation over refutation

Goals of Science

• Describe behavior: Observing and cataloging behavior patterns.
• Predict behavior: Identifying conditions where behaviors are likely to occur.
• Identify causes of behavior: Establishing cause-and-effect relationships.
• Understand/explain behavior: Explaining underlying mechanisms and theories.

Psychology as a Science

• Psychology is a necessary science, using empirical methods and systematic approaches.
• Psychology is a sufficient science when applying rigorous methodology.
• Criterion for causation in psychology requires:
  • Temporal precedence (cause happens before effect)
  • Covariation of cause and effect (when cause changes, so does effect)
  • Elimination of alternative explanations

Steps of Research

• Hypothesis formation.
• Characteristics of good theories: comprehensive, heuristic (inspire new research), testable, parsimonious (simple and concise), and integrative.
• Operationalization: Defining variables in measurable terms.
• Variables: independent (manipulated), dependent (measured).
• Research design: experiment (manipulation and control), correlation (relationship), case study (in-depth analysis of a single case).

Validity in Research

• Reliability: Consistency of results.
• Types of validity:
  • Internal validity: Cause-and-effect within the study.
  • External validity: Generalizability to real-world settings.
  • Construct validity: Accuracy of measurement.
• Threats to validity: extraneous variables (uncontrolled factors), design flaws (e.g., history, maturation, testing effects).

APA Ethics Code

• General principles: Ethical guidelines for research conduct, including informed consent and avoiding plagiarism.

Additional Information

• Standards (Section 8): Specifics for research and publication, including informed consent and avoiding plagiarism.
• APA Style: Refer to Purdue OWL or Kuther Chapter 8 for citation format details.
• Key Readings: Stanovich (2019) for scientific thinking in psychology, and Kuther (2020) for fundamental knowledge.

This quiz explores the differences between empirical and ordinary knowing, along with distinguishing science from pseudoscience. Understand the critical elements of scientific inquiry and its goals in describing, predicting, and explaining behavior. Test your knowledge on these fundamental concepts in psychology.