Chapter 1 - How Science Advances Flashcards
define evidence-based treatment
psychotherapy technique that is shown to be effective with support from empirical research
how do psychologist appraoch their work?
- act as empiricist in investigations
- test theories with research
- follow norms in the scientific community with fairness and objectivity
- empirical approach to both applied and basic research
- make their work public
define empiricism
the use of verifiable evidence as the basis for conclusions. collecting data and using it to develop/support/challenge a theory
explain the thoery-data cycle
- asking particular questions
- made specific predictions
- testing the predicitions
- used the data to go back to the overall theory
explain the cupboard theory
a mother is seen as a food source to a baby, and receives a overall pleasant from being fed. overtime, the mom get positive value as she is the “cupboard” from which food comes from.
explain the contact comfort theory
babies are attached to their mothers becasue fo the comfort of warm and fuzzy fur
how did they test whether contact comfort or cupboard theory was correct?
set up a experiemet where a monkey had a mom that was covered in a blanket but gave no food, and another mom that ave food but was just wire. data showed that the monkeys, majority of the time, craved the comfort over food, but they would still go to the other mother food food when hungry.
define theory
set of statements that describe general principles about how variables relate to one another
define data
set of observations representing the values of some variables, collected from one or more studies
hypotheses are pre__________
preREGISTERED
meaning that the studys expected outcomes is stated before collecting any data
define falsiability
a feature of a theory, in which is it possible to collect data to deny that the theory is correct
define self-correcting
where scientists open up their research to be peer-reviewed in order to identifying and correct any error
define applied research
the goal is to find a solution to a real-world problem
define basic research
the goal is to enahnce the general body of knowledge, without having a direct application
define translation research
using knowledge derived from basic research to develop and test solution to real world problems (basic to applied transition)
define empiricism
systemic observations that are independently verifiable by others. learning only comes from experiences and observations. knowledge is derived from sense-experience.
what are the 5 main steps in the theory-data cycle?
- Interest arise from theories
- Develop a research question
- create a hypothesis
- collect and analyze data from the study
- use to data to dive further into a new theory-data cycle
define theory
statement that describes the general principles about how variables relate. (working truth) It is quite broad and can apply it to many people. multiple components and variables.
examples: paiget’s theory of cognitive development, vroom’s expectancy theory, weiner’s attribution theory, maslow’s hierarchy of needs
what are the key components of a research question?
want to answer it through research, specific problem, open-ended. can be created from theories and your own experiences, observations, aswell as literature and past research.
define hypothesis
a formal and precise statement that is used to predict the relationship between variables
ex. negotiators are less demanding when an opponent expresses anger that when an opponent expresses happiness
can data prove a hypothesis?
NO! data can support or deny a hypothesis but we can never be sure that something is 100% true in order to prove it.
what are the 3 key components of a good theory?
supported by data (repeated, different designs and samples), falsifiable ( when studying, able to accept or deny the theory), and parsimonious (simple, explains with a minimum number of assumptions)
define basic research
used to build and enhance a general body of knowledge and not intended to address a specific problem.
define applied research
used to focus on practical problems where the findings will be directly used as solutions for real world context problems
how are peer reviewed articles good sources of information?
the editor sends the manuscript to 2-4 experts, which stay unknown and they provide feedback and make recommendations.
why is going from journal to journalism so important?
when not done correctly, the public can be told a different meaning that the article was intended to give. the reporter needs to accurately represent the info but the scientist also needs to communicate clearly on the intent of the article.
