PSYC Chapter 1.docx

Psychology as a Science Definitions Multiply determined caused by many factors Individual Differences Variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behavior Reciprocal determinism The fact that we can mutually influence each other Emic approach study the behavior of a c...

Psychology as a Science Definitions Multiply determined caused by many factors Individual Differences Variations among people in their thinking, emotion, personality, and behavior Reciprocal determinism The fact that we can mutually influence each other Emic approach study the behavior of a culture from the perspective of someone who grew up in the culture Etic approach Study the behavior of a culture from the perspective of an outsider Naive realism belief that we see the world precisely as it is Empiricism the premise that knowledge should initially be acquired through observation Scientific theory an explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world Hypothesis testable prediction derived from a scientific theory Confirmation bias Tendency to seek out evidence that supports or is in favour of our beliefs and deny evidence that contradicts them Belief perseverance tendency to stick to our initial beliefs even when evidence contradicts them Metaphysical claims assertion about the world that is not testable Pseudoscience a set of claims that seems scientific but is not Exaggerated claims Over Reliance on anecdotes Absence of connectivity to other research Lack of peer-review Lack of self correlation Psychobabble Has “proof” not evidence Ad hoc immunizing hypothesis loophole that defenders of a theory use to protect their theory from falsification Patternicity tendency to detect meaningful patterns in random stimuli Terror management theory awareness of our death leaves us with underlying sense of terror which we cope with by adopting reassuring cultural worldviews Logical fallacies traps in thinking that can lead to mistaking conclusions Emotional reasoning fallacy error of using our emotions as guides for evaluating the validity of a claim Bandwagon fallacy error of assuming that a claim is correct just because many people believe it Either-or fallacy error of framing a question as though we can answer it in only one of two extreme ways Not me fallacy error of believing that we’re immune from errors in thinking that afflict other people Opportunity cost what we give up Direct harm dreadful harm to those who receive it Scientific skepticism Evaluating all claims with an open mind but insisting on persuasive evidence before accepting them Critical thinking Set of skills for evaluating all claims in an open mindedness and careful fashion Variable anything that can change Scientific thinking principles Ruling out rival hypothesis Is this the only explanation or have we ruled out others Correlation vs. Causation Error of assuming that because one thing is associated with another, it must cause the other Falsifiability Can it be disproved Replicability Can it be duplicated in other studies Extraordinary claims Is the evidence as strong as its claims Occam’s razor Is there a simpler explanation Introspection method by which trained observers carefully reflect and report on their mental experiences Nature-nurture debate our are behaviors due to our genes (nature) or due to our environments (nurture) Evolutionary psychology discipline that applies Darwin’s theory of natural selection to human and animal behavior Basic research examines how the mind works Applied research research examining how we can use basic research to solve real world problems Sequential lineup victims view each person individually and this more accurate than simultaneous lineups Simultaneous lineups one or more suspects line up in a row