Psych 0.1-0.3

what do psychology's findings need to be validated

proof and evidence

what do psychological studies help distinguish between

fact and opinion

empirical approach

an evidenced based method that draws on observation and experimentation

what are the three characteristics that comprise a scientific attitude

humility, curiosity, skepticism

identify what characteristic would say this "does it work"

curiosity

identify what characteristic would say this "what do you mean"

skepticism

identify what characteristic would say this "that was unexpected, let's explore further"

humility

critical thinking

is thinking that does not automatically accept arguments and conclusions

what are the three roadblocks in critical thinking

hindsight bias, overconfidence, perceiving orders in random events

hindsight bias

the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it

what type of roadblock is this "I knew it all along"

hindsight bias

overconfidence

when someone thinks they know more than they do

who is Philip Fetlock

a psychologist who found that humans predictions are true about 40% of the time when they usually think that they are 80% accurate

perceiving order in random events

when we think there is a pattern and it is in reality random

what is the scientific method

a self-correcting procedure to evaluate ideas through observation and analysis

what is the scientific method used for

to think critically, observe behaviors, test variables, and draw conclusions

peer reviews

scientific experts who evaluate a research article's theory, originality and accuracy

theory

an explanation using integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

hypothesis

a testable prediction often implied by a theory

falsifiable

the possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be disproven by observation or experiment

operational defintion

a carefully worded statement of the exact procedures used in a research study

replication

repeating a research study to see if the findings can be reproduced

what can operational definitions reduce

bias

replication can serve as

conformation

how do hypothesis's and theories relate

a hypothesis can either support or disconfirm theories

what are the three methods to describe behavior

case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys

case study

a descriptive technique in which one individual or group is studied in depth in the hope of revealing principles

true or false. case studies can only lead to ideas. other methods are needed to follow

true

naturalistic observaation

a descriptive technique of observing and recording behavior in naturally occurring situations without trying to manipulate and control the situation

what do naturalistic observations offer

snapshots of daily life and can be a starting point for other research

survey

a descriptive technique for obtaining the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group

what does a survey require

a representative population

sampling bias

a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample

random sample

fairly represents a population

population

describes all. those in a group being studied from which random samples may be drawn.

Social-desirability bias

Bias from peoples responding in they presume a researcher her expects or wishes

Self- report bias

Bias when people report their behavior inaccurately