Unit II: Research Methods...Unit II - Overview 4 - The Need for Psychological Science 5 - The...

Unit II:Research MethodsMs. Justice

AP Psychology

2014-2015

Unit II - Overview

4 - The Need for Psychological Science

5 - The Scientific Method and Description

6 - Correlation and Experimentation

7 - Statistical Reasoning in Everyday Life

8 - Frequently Asked Questions About

Psychology

Unit II:Research MethodsModule 4

The Need for Psychological Science

Science vs. Common Sense 4-1

The Monty Hall Problem

Common Sense or Statistics?

Did We Know It All Along? Hindsight Bias

• Hindsight Bias – the “I knew it all

along” phenomenon

• After learning the outcome of an event,

many people believe they could have

predicted that very outcome.

• Common sense more easily describes

what has happened than what will

happen.

4-1

Overconfidence

• We tend to think we know

more than we do

• Richard Goranson Study (1978)

• People said it would take about

10 seconds, yet on average they

took about 3 minutes

4-1

Anagrams

BARGEGRABE

ENTRYETYRN

WATERWREAT

Perceiving Order in Random Events

• Comes from our need to make sense

out of the world

–Coin flip

–Poker hand

–Multiple choice

tests

4-1

The Scientific Attitude 4-2

The Scientific Attitude

The scientific attitude is composed of:

curiosity (passion for exploration)

skepticism (doubting and questioning)

and

humility (ability to accept responsibility when

wrong)

4-2

Critical Thinking

• “Smart thinking”

• The scientific attitude prepares us for critical

thinking, which does not accept arguments and

conclusions blindly

• Elements of critical thinking:

• Examines assumptions

• Assesses the source

• Discerns hidden values

• Confirms evidence

• Assesses conclusions

4-2

Skepticism

• James Randi exemplifies skepticism – he has tested and debunked a variety of psychic phenomena

• $1 million challenge

The Amazing Randiwww.randi.org

4-2

James Randi Exposes

Uri Geller & Peter Popoff4-2