The Science of Psychology: Fundamentals and Applications

Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology

A course taught by Dr. Zambrano-Varghese (21:830:102)

What is Psychological Science?

• Psychological Science: Defined as the study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior.

Critical Thinking

• Critical Thinking: Involves systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence.

• Being a Critical Thinker: Requires the ability to identify and challenge assumptions, recognize biases, and evaluate the validity of arguments and data. This is crucial because humans are prone to making numerous thinking errors.

Major Biases in Thinking Leading to Faulty Conclusions

• Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs or hypotheses.

• Correlation Does Not Equal Causation: A fundamental principle indicating that simply because two variables are related or move together (correlated) does not mean that one causes the other. There might be a third variable, or the relationship could be coincidental.

• Hindsight Bias: The