Chapter 1 Flashcards
It connotes content and process.
Science
Methodology consists of the ______________ we use to collect and evaluate data.
scientific techniques
Science consists of two things
content and process
Refers to nonscientific data gathering
Commonsense psychology
it uses non scientific sources of data and no scientific inference
commonsense psychology
non scientific use of information to PREDICT BEHAVIOR
nonscientific inference
four examples of non scientific inference
- gambler’s fallacy
- overuse of trait explanations
- stereotyping
- overconfidence bias
in this, people misuse data to estimate the probability of an event
gambler’s fallacy
when we overuse this, we often make unwarranted dispositional attributions and underuse situational information.
overuse of trait explanation
we falsely assume that specific behaviors cluster together
stereotyping
This bias can reduce the accuracy of our explanations and predictions
overuse of trait explanation
Stereotypes ignore ___________
individual differences
we feel MORE CONFIDENT about our conclusions than is warranted by available data
overconfidence bias
This form of nonscientific inference can result in ERRONEOUS CONCLUSIONS when we don’t recognize the limitations of supporting data.
overconfidence bias
he assumes that behavior follows a NATURAL ORDER and can be predicted.
alfred north whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead’s ___________ assumes that behavior follows a natural order and can be predicted.
scientific mentality
this assumption is essential to science.
scientific mentality
Data are empirical when _______ or ________
observed or experienced
consists of statements generally expressed as equations with few variables that have OVERWHELMING EMPIRICAL SUPPORT
law
is an interim explanation; a set of related statements used to explain and predict phenomena.
theory
it is critical to the scientific method.
good thinking
The principle of ______ is that we prefer the SIMPLEST USEFUL explanation.
parsimony
Sir Karl Popper proposed that science advances by __________ based on the _________
revising theories
weight of evidence
Science is _________
self correcting
The principle of __________ allows us to disprove statements using a single, CONTRARY observation.
modus tollens
is an exact or systematic REPETITION of a study.
replication
The four main objectives of science are
- description
- prediction
- explanation
- control
is a systematic and UNBIASED ACCOUNT of observed characteristics of behaviors.
description
is the capability of KNOWING IN ADVANCE when certain behaviors should occur.
prediction
is KNOWLEDGE of the conditions that reliably PRODUCE A BEHAVIOR.
explanation
is the use of scientific knowledge to INFLUENCE behavior.
control
addresses REAL-WORLD problems like how to improve student graduation rates.
applied research
TESTS THEORIES and explains psychological phenomena like helping behavior.
basic research
The main tools of psychological science are:
● observation
● measurement
● experimentation
is the systematic NOTING and RECORDING of events.
observation
means that the procedures are consistently APPLIED.
systematic
Observations must be ______ so that there can be strong agreement among raters
objective
assigns numbers to objects, events, or their characteristics. This is an inherent feature of quantitative research.
measurement
is the process we use to TEST THE PREDICTIONS we call hypotheses and establish cause-and-effect relationships.
experimentation
Experimentation is not always possible because our predictions must be
testable
_________ or ________ may prevent experimentation
ethical concerns or technological limitations
we control __________ so we that we can measure “what we intend to measure.”
extraneous variables
Experiments establish a __________, because causes must precede effects.
temporal relationship
A _________ is any field of study that gives the appearance of being scientific, but has no true scientific basis and has not been confirmed using the scientific method.
pseudoscience
