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Thinking Critically with Psychological Science
The Need for Psychological Science The limits of Intuition and
Common Sense
The Scientific Attitude
The Scientific Method
FAQS About Psychology
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Impression of Psychology Hoping to satisfy curiosity, many people listen to talk-radio counselors and psychics to know
about others and themselves.
Dr. Crane (radio-shrink)
http://ww
w. nbc.com
http://ww
w. photovault.c om
Psychic (Ball gazing)
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The Need for Psychological Science
Intuition & Common Sense
Many of us believe that intuition and common sense are enough to bring forth answers about
human nature.
Although intuition and common sense may aid queries, they are not free of error.
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Limits of Intuition
Personal interviewers tend to be overconfident
of their “gut feelings” about job applicants.
Taxi/ G
etty Images
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Errors of Common Sense
Try this !
If you were to fold a piece of paper (0.1 mm thick) 100 times, how large do you think its thickness
would be?
800,000,000,000,000 times the distance between the sun and the earth.
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We tend to believe, after learning about an
outcome, that we would have foreseen it. We
knew that the dot.com stocks would plummet,
only after they did.
Hindsight BiasHindsight Bias is the “I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon.
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OverconfidenceWe tend to think we know more than we actually do.
Anagram
BARGEGRABE
ENTRYETYRN
WATERWREAT
How long do you think would it take to unscramble
these anagrams?
People said about 10 seconds. On average they
took about 3 minutes (Goranson, 1978).
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Psychological Science
1. How can we differentiate between uninformed opinions and examined conclusions?
2. The science of psychology can help make these examined conclusions, which lead to our understanding what people feel, think, act, as they do!
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The Scientific Attitude
The scientific attitude is composed of curiosity (passion for exploration), skepticism (doubting and questioning) and humility (humbleness to
accept when wrong).
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Critical Thinking
Critical thinking does not blindly accept
arguments and conclusions.
It examines assumptions, discerns
hidden values, evaluates evidence,
assesses conclusions.The Amazing Randi
Courtesy of the Jam
es Randi E
ducat ion Foundat ion
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Scientific Method
Psychologists, like all scientists, use the scientific method to construct theories that
organize, summarize and simplify observations.
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Theory is an explanation that integrates principles, organizes and predicts behaviors
or events.
For example, low self-esteem contributes to depression.
Theory
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Hypothesis is a testable prediction, often induced by a theory, to enable us to accept,
reject or revise the theory.
People with low self-esteem are apt to feel more depressed.
Hypothesis
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Research would require us to administer tests of self esteem and depression to
people. Individuals who score low on self-esteem measures and high on depression
tests, would confirm our hypothesis.
Research Observations
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FAQ
Q1. Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life?
Ans: Artificial laboratory conditions are created to study behavior in simplistic terms. The goal is to find underlying principles that govern behavior.
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FAQ
Q2. Does behavior depend on one’s culture?
Ans: Even when specific attitudes and behaviors vary across cultures, as they often do, the underlying processes are much the same.
Am
i Vitale/ G
etty Image s
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FAQ
Q3. Does behavior vary with gender?
Ans: Yes. Biology determines our sex, and then culture further bends the genders. Yet in many
ways women and men are similarly human.
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FAQ
Q4. Why do psychologists study animals?
Ans: Study of animals gives us understanding of many behaviors that may have common biology
across animals and humans.
D. Shapiro, © Wildlife Conservation Society
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FAQ
Q5. Is it ethical to experiment on animals?
Ans: Yes. To gain insights to devastating and fatal diseases. All researchers who deal with animal
research are required to follow ethical guidelines in caring for these animals.
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FAQ
Q6. Is it ethical to experiment on people?
Ans: Yes. Experiments that do not involve any kind of physical or psychological harm that is
beyond normal levels encountered in daily life can be carried out.