Research In Psychology: Methods & Design - Eighth Edition Lecture Notes PDF

RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY: METHODS & DESIGN Eighth Edition Chapter 1. Scientific Thinking in Psychology Chapter Objectives Defend the need for a research methods course for psychology students Explain how the overall purpose of a methods course differs from other psychology courses...

RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY: METHODS & DESIGN Eighth Edition Chapter 1. Scientific Thinking in Psychology Chapter Objectives Defend the need for a research methods course for psychology students Explain how the overall purpose of a methods course differs from other psychology courses Identify and evaluate nonscientific ways of knowing about things in the world – authority, reasoning, and experience Chapter Objectives Describe the attributes of science as a way of knowing Distinguish science from pseudoscience and recognize the attributes of pseudoscientific thinking Describe the main goals of research in psychology and relate them to various research strategies to be encountered later in the book Why Take This Course? Foundation for understanding other psychology courses, which are based on research – Content vs. process courses Helps one become a critical consumer of scientific information Essential for graduate school – Even non-experimental programs (e.g., counseling) Develops critical thinking skills How do we know what we know about human behavior? Ways of Knowing Authority Basing our beliefs on what we are told by others Examples? – parents, teachers, textbooks… Authority brings stability and consistency and can be very beneficial, especially if knowledge gained is brand new Problem: – authorities can be wrong! Ways of Knowing Reason / Logical Argument Use of reason via conversation [discourse] to come to a consensus Uses the a priori method – based on argument and logic, not direct experience Problems: – our initial assumptions may be incorrect – by using reason/logic alone, we have no way to check the accuracy of our assumptions – valid logical arguments can lead to opposite conclusions Ways of Knowing Empiricism / Direct Experience Process of learning via direct observation or experience Problems: – experiences are limited to our interpretations of them – experiences can be influenced by social cognition biases confirmation bias belief perseverance availability heuristic Science as a Way of Knowing Assumes determinism and discoverability – statistical or probabilistic determinism Makes systematic observations – less affected by bias than everyday observations Produces public knowledge – objectivity criterion Agreement by two or more observers – example from introspection to behaviorism (Box 1.1) Produces data-based conclusions – example  Galton as the prototype Science as a Way of Knowing Produces tentative conclusions – findings subject to outcomes of future research Asks answerable questions – empirical questions i.e., answerable with data based on the use of valid scientific methods Develops theories that can be falsified – falsification criterion Scientists (i.e., psychologists) are skeptical optimists!  Science vs. Pseudoscience Can you tell the difference? Pseudoscience “false science” – literally Textbook examples  phrenology and graphology Compared to true science, pseudoscience… – associates itself with real science tries to appear legitimate – relies heavily on anecdotal evidence ignores counter instances Results from effort justification – sidesteps falsification Avoids falsification by explaining away anomalies – reduces complex phenomena to overly simplistic concepts  Why is this relevant to psychology? Psychologists make predictions about what might happen and we might be WRONG!! What kinds of predictions would psychologists try to make? What kinds of empirical questions might we ask? The Goals of Research in Psychology Describe – identify regularly occurring sequences of psychological events (e.g., behaviors, thoughts, emotions, etc.) Predict – psychological events follow certain “laws” that are regular and therefore predictable The Goals of Research in Psychology Explain – psychological events are explained in terms of their relationship to other factors – causal explanations are ideal Apply – science informs real-world applications of psychological events A Passion for Research in Psychology Eleanor Gibson (1910-2002) – known for her visual cliff studies B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) – known for his research on operant conditioning Note that each found elements of “beauty” in the research they loved doing Summary Psychology is a science and adheres to the assumptions and goals of science. Science distinguishes itself from pseudoscience by being systematic, empirical, data-driven, tentative, and falsifiable. As psychological scientists, we strive to describe, predict, explain, and apply what we discover from our research.