Chapter 2 Flashcards
Explain why direct observation is essential to an accurate understanding of nature
Outline the process of the scientific method
Identify the challenges to studying human behaviour
Dogmatists vs Empiricists
Dogmatikos - develop theories of the bodies functions
EMpiricism - The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation
hypothesis
Falsifiable prediction made by a theory
Name the properties of a good operational definition
Operational definition is a description of a property in measurable terms
Construct validity
Power
Reliability
Identify some of the methods psychologists uses to avoid demand characteristics and observer bias
Naturalistic observation: technique for gathering scientific information by unobtrusively observing people in their natural environments
Privacy and control
Unawareness
Description
Explain what a frequency distribution iis and describe the two main types of descriptive statistics
Frequnecy distribution is a graphic representation of the number of times in which the measurement of a property takes on each of its possible values.
The two kinds of descriptive Statistics:
Central Tendency: mode, mean, median
Variability
What can and can’t you explain from correlational research
Outline the essential ingredients of an experiment and explain how experiments solve the third-variable proble
Distinguish the kinds of conclusions that can and cannot be drawn from experimental evidence
Define both type I and type II errors in the context of psychological research
Why should psychologists worry if the replication rate is too low or too high
Identify the psychological tendencies that make critical thinking so difficult
Tendency to see what we expect or want to see and the tendency to to ignore what we can’t see
Whether the evidence tells not just the truth but the whole truth
Describe the two steps people can take to help them think critically
Doubt what you do see and consider what you don’t see
