The Need for Psychological Science

Flashcards covering roadblocks to critical thinking, cognitive biases, research methods in psychology, and correlation.

What are common roadblocks to critical thinking?

Hindsight bias; overconfidence; perceiving patterns in random events.

Hindsight bias

The tendency to see events as having been predictable after they occur.

Overconfidence

Overestimating one’s own knowledge, beliefs, or the accuracy of one's judgments.

Perceiving patterns in random events

Seeing meaningful connections where none exist (apophenia).

Repetition can influence belief

Repeated exposure to information can increase its perceived accuracy or plausibility.

Availability heuristic

Judging likelihood or importance by how easily examples come to mind, especially vivid ones.

Group identity and like-mindedness

Group affiliation and the desire for social acceptance can reinforce shared beliefs and misinformation.

The scientific method

A systematic process used in psychology to investigate phenomena, develop theories, and test predictions.

Theory

A well-supported set of ideas that explains observations and generates testable predictions.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction derived from a theory.

Operational definition

Precise, measurable definition of variables and procedures used in research.

Replication

Repeating original observations with different participants to test reliability.

Case study

Detailed description of a single person or event to illustrate a phenomenon.

Naturalistic observation

Watching behavior in real-world settings without interference.

Surveys and interviews

Methods for collecting self-reported data from participants.

Correlation

A statistical measure of the relationship between two variables.

Correlation coefficient

A numerical value indicating strength and direction of a linear relationship (-1 to 1).

Does correlation prove causation?

No; correlation does not establish causal relationships.