Experimental Psychology and the Scientific Method

Question 1

a method of studying psychological phenomena and processes. It attempts to account for the activities of animals (including humans) and the functional organization of mental processes by manipulating variables that may give rise to behavior

Answer 1

Experimental psychology

Question 2

science of behavior

Answer 2

Psychology

Question 3

The word science comes from the Latin word s_ _ _ _ _ _ a, which means knowledge.

Answer 3

scientia

Question 4

Two meanings of knowledge:

Answer 4

Content & Process

Question 5

refers to what we know

Answer 5

content

Question 6

An activity that includes the systematic ways in which we go about gathering data, noting relationships and offering explanations

Answer 6

Process

Question 7

Nonscientific data gathering that shapes our expectation and beliefs and directs our behavior toward others

Answer 7

Commonsense psychology

Question 8

Beliefs tend to become stable because we rarely, if ever, test them. Once we believe we know something, we tend to overlook instances that might disconfirm our beliefs, and we seek, instead, confirmatory instances of behavior.

Answer 8

Confirmation bias

Question 9

All commonsense psychologists are trait theorist at least when it comes to explaining the behavior of others. When we understand other people’s behavior, there is a strong bias to overlook situational data in favor of data that substantiate trait explanations (Gilbert, 1995; Ross & Nisbett, 1991). Our ability to make accurate predictions about someone’s trait increases with the length of acquaintanceship. We are generally more accurate when we know someone well than when we judge a stranger (Colvin & Funder, 1991).

Answer 9

Nonscientific inference

Question 10

The psychologist’s goal of prediction rests on a simple, but important, assumption: Behavior must follow a natural order; therefore, it can be predicted. Faith in an organized universe is essential to science. If no inherent order existed, there would be no point in looking for one and no need to develop methods for doing so.

Answer 10

Scientific mentality

Question 11

He postulated the scientific mentality

Answer 11

Alfred North Whitehead

Question 12

Research psychologist share the belief that there are specifiable causes for the way people behave and that these cause can be discovered through research.

Answer 12

Determinism

Question 13

data that are observable or experienced.

Answer 13

empirical data

Question 14

Modern scientists go beyond cataloging observations to proposing general principles laws or theories that will explain them. When these principles have the generality to apply to all situations

Answer 14

Laws

Question 15

pull together, or unify, diverse sets of scientific facts into an organizing scheme, such as a general principle or set of rules, that can be used to predict new examples of behavior

Answer 15

Theory

Question 16

A central feature of the scientific method; The approach to the collection and interpretation of data should be systematic, objective, and rational. It avoids letting private beliefs or attitudes. It includes being open to new ideas even when they contradict our prior beliefs or attitudes.

Answer 16

Good thinking

Question 17

Another important aspect of good thinking is the principle of parsimony, When two explanations are equally defensible, the simplest explanation is preferred until it is ruled out by conflicting data

Answer 17

Occam’s razor

Question 18

The content of science changes as we acquire new scientific information, and old information is reevaluated in light of new facts. Changes in scientific explanations and theories are an extremely important part of scientific progress.

Answer 18

Self correction

Question 19

Because of its dynamic nature, modern science has become a highly public activity. Scientists meet frequently through professional and special interest groups and attend professional conferences to exchange information about their current work. This continuous exchange of information is vital to the scientific process. It would do little good for scientists to work in isolation.

Answer 19

Publicizing results

Question 20

another important part of the scientific approach. We should be able to repeat our procedures and get the same results again if we have gathered data objectively and if we have followed good thinking. Finding that are obtainable by only one researcher have very limited scientific value.

Answer 20

Replication

Question 21

four major objectives of research conducted in psychology;

Answer 21

• Description
• Prediction
• Explanation
• Control

Question 22

the initial step toward understanding any phenomenon, referring to a systematic and unbiased account of the observed characteristics of behaviors.

Answer 22

Description

Question 23

refers to the capacity for knowing in advance when certain behaviors would be expected to occur to be able to predict them ahead of time because we have identified other conditions with which behaviors are linked or associated

Answer 23

Prediction

Question 24

includes knowledge of the conditions that reliably reproduce the occurrence of a behavior.

Answer 24

Explanation

Question 25

The application of what has been learned about behavior. Once a behavior has been explained through experimentation, it may be possible to use that knowledge to affect change or improve behavior.

Answer 25

Control