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How to think straight about psychology Flashcards

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0
Q

Is Fredu’s importance to modern psychology exaggerated or underrated?

A

Exaggerated

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1
Q

Are Freduian concepts ejected by most empirically oriented psychologists?

A

Yes

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2
Q

What was wrong with Freud?

A

His methods of investigation were completely unrepresentative of how modern psychologists conduct their research

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3
Q

What is the most potent weapon in the modern psychologist’s aresenal of methods?

A

Controlled experimentation

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4
Q

How many divisions does the APA have? What does this entail?

A

54 divisions

This entails that there is a great diversity of content and perspectives in modern psychology

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5
Q

What are the two main organizations of psychologists?

A

APA

APS

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6
Q

What divisons out of the 54 are missing?

A

4 and 11

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7
Q

What do many people expect to learn from psychology?

A

One grand theory that unifies and explains all aspects of human behavior

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8
Q

Is the coherence of psychology increasing or decreasing?

A

Increasing

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9
Q

Hub Discipline

A

A science whose findings have unusually wide implications for other fields

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10
Q

What are the 2 things that justify psychology as an independent discipline?

A
  1. Psych studies the full range of human and nonhuman behavior with the techniques of science
  2. The applications that derive from this knowledge are scientifically based
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11
Q

How is psychology different from other behavioral fields?

A

It attempts to give the public two guarantees

  1. The conclusions about behavior that it produces derive from scientific evidence
  2. Practical applications of psychology have been derived from and tested by scientific methods
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12
Q

What is the first and most important step in understanding psychology?

A

To realize that its defining feature is that it is the data-based scientific study of behavior

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13
Q

What is psychology’s defining feature?

A

That it is the data-based scientific study of behavior

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14
Q

What is the primary way that people get confused in their thinking about psychology?

A

They fail to realize that it is a scientific discipline

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15
Q

Where does much confusion about psychology come from?

A

Bogus psychology aka pseudosciences

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16
Q

Is science defined by subject matter?

A

no

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17
Q

Is science defined by the use of particular apparatus?

A

No

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18
Q

What is science (as a way of thinking)

A

A way of thinking about and observing the universe that leads to a deep understanding of its workings

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19
Q

What features define science? (3)

A
  1. The use of systematic empiricism
  2. THe production of public knowledge
  3. The examination of solvable problems
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20
Q

Empiricism

A

The practice of relying on observation

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21
Q

Can knowledge that is considered “special” or for “one’s eyes only” have the status of scientific knowledge?

A

No, because it must be public

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22
Q

How does science make the idea of public verifiability concrete?

A

Via replication

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23
Q

What must be able to be done to a finding to be accepted by the scientific community?

A

It must be possible for someone else to duplicate it

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24
Q

Publicly Verifiable Knowledge

A

Findings presented to the scientific community in such a way that they can be replicated, criticized, or extended by anyone in the community

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25
Q

Peer Review

A

A procedure in which each paper submitted to a research journal is critiqued by several scientists, who then submit their criticisms to an editor

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26
Q

When is it a sure sign that an idea is bogus?

A

When lack of evidence is accompanied by a media campaign to publicize the claim

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27
Q

What is the only consumer protection that we have?

A

Peer review

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28
Q

What does a scientist mean by “solvable problem”?

A

Testable theory

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29
Q

What is the sequence of a scientific theory?

A

Theory -> prediction -> test

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30
Q

What makes a theory testable?

A

THe theory must have specific implications for observable events in the natural world; it must be empirically testable

The criterion of testability is often called the falsifiability criterion

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31
Q

What can ignorance be divided into?

A

Problems and mysteries

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32
Q

What is the difference between a problem and a mystery?

A

In problems, we know that an answer is possible and what that answer might look like even though we might not have the answer yet

In mysteries, we can’t even conceive of what an answer might look like

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33
Q

Science is a process that does what to mysteries?

A

Turns mysteries into problems

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34
Q

What is our personal model of behavior like?

A

A ragbag of general principles, homilies, and cliches about human behavior that we draw on when we need an explanation

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35
Q

What is the problem with our personal models of behavior?

A

Because it is commonsense knowledge, much of it contradicts itself and is therefore unfalsifiable

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36
Q

What is the enormous appeal of cliches?

A

WHen they are taken together as implicit explanations of behavior, they cannot be refuted

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37
Q

Folk wisdom is ____ __ ____ wisdom

A

After the fact

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38
Q

When many common cultural beliefs about behavior are subjected to empirical test, they turn out to be ___ (true/false)

A

False

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39
Q

IS it hard to generate instances of folk beliefs that are wrong?

A

No

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40
Q

Should you change your answer on a test?

A

Yes

While folk myth says that it decreases your score, this is wrong.

Research shows that when doubts arise, students are better off switching from their first answer

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41
Q

Psychology tests the empirical basis of the assumptions of ____ ____

A

Common sense

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42
Q

Has empirically based psychology received much opposition from the public?

A

Yes

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43
Q

Is psychological science “politically correct”?

A

No

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44
Q

Chapter 1 Summary

A

Psychology is an immensely diverse discipline covering a range of subjects that are not always tied together by common concepts. Instead, what unifies the discipline is that it uses scientific methods to understand behavior. The scientific method is not a strict set of rules; instead it is defined by some very general principles. 3 of the most important are that (1) science employs methods of systematic empiricism; (2) it aims for knowledge that is publicly verifiable; and (3) it seeks problems that are empirically solvable and that yield testable theories. The structured and controlled observations that define systematic empiricism are the subject of several later chapters. Science renders knowledge public by procedures such as peer review and mechanisms such as replication. Psychology is a young science and, thus, is often in conflict with so-called folk wisdom. This conflict is typical of all new sciences, but understanding it helps to explain some of the hostility directed toward psycholgy as a discipline. This characteristic of questioning common wisdom also makes psychology an exciting field. Many people are drawn to the discipline because it holds out the possiblity of actually testing “common sense” that has been accepted without question for centuries.

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45
Q

What did Benjamin Rush do to his theory on bloodletting when people had yellow fever?

A

He made it impossible to falsify his theory Either he helped them get better or they died because they were too far gone

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46
Q

The Falsifiability Criterion

A

For a specific theory to be useful, the predictions drawn from it must be specific. In telling us what should happen, it must also imply that certain things will not happen

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47
Q

A theory

A

An interrelated set of concepts that is used to explain a body of data and to make predictions about the results of future experiments

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48
Q

Hypotheses

A

Specific predictions that are derived from theories

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49
Q

A viable theory is one that has had many of their ____ confirmed

A

Hypotheses

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50
Q

The more specific and precise a prediction is, the more potention observations there are that can ____ it

A

Falsify

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51
Q

What do good theories do in regards to falsification?

A

They make predictions that expose themselves to falsification

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52
Q

What do bad theories do in regards to falsification?

A

They make predictions that are so general that they are almost bound to be true, or phrased in such a way that they are completely protected from falsification

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53
Q

What is wrong with Freudian theory?

A

It can explain everything, therefore making it scientifically useless

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54
Q

When does progress occur in regards to theories?

A

When a theory does not predict everything but instead makes specific predictions that tell us - in advance - something specific about the world

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55
Q

What is the most important reason for scientific disenchantment regarding ESP?

A

The catch-22 of ESP research

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56
Q

Should we look for quality or quantity regarding confirming instances?

A

We must look at both

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57
Q

Why is psychology a threat to the comfort that folk wisdom provides?

A

Because, as a science, it cannot be content with explanations that cannot be refuted

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58
Q

What is the process that allows scientists to generate theories that better refelct the nature of the world?

A

The process of continually adjusting theory when data do not accord with it

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59
Q

Which is better? Adjust our beliefs, or deny the evidence and cling to dysfunctional ideas?

A

Adjust our beliefs

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60
Q

How does science advance?

A

By ruling out incorrect hypotheses rather than immediately zeroing in on the perfect theory

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61
Q

What is the real danger to scientific progress?

A

Our natural human tendency to avoid exposing our beliefs to situations in which they might be shown to be wrong - scientists must avoid this tendency

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62
Q

Truthiness

A

The quality of a thing feeling true without any evidence suggesting that it actually was

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63
Q

Does science accept or reject truthiness?

A

Reject

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64
Q

What are the most instructive moments in our lives?

A

When we are proven wrong

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65
Q

What is the “mark of an educated mind” as stated by Aristotle?

A

To be able to entertain a thought without accepting it

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66
Q

Where does the strength of science come from?

A

From a scoail process where scientists constantly cross-check each others’ knowledge and conclusions

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67
Q

Laws (science)

A

Relationships that have been confirmed so many times

They are termed laws because it is doubtful that they will be overturned by future experimentation

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68
Q

When are scientists uncertain?

A

At the fringes of knowledge - where our understanding is currently being advanced

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69
Q

What are scientists not uncertain about?

A

The many facts that have been well established by replicable research

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70
Q

Does the falsification of a theory mean that scientists have to go back to square one?

A

No

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71
Q

Is the Earth a sphere or an oblate spheroid?

A

Oblate spheroid - the earth bulges a little at the equator and it is a little flat at the poles

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72
Q

Chapter 2 Summary

A

What scientists most often mean by a “solvable problem” is a “testable theory” The definition of a testable theory is a very specific one in science: it means that the theory is potentially falsifiable. If a theory is not falsifiable, then it has no implications for actual events in the natural world and, hence, is useless. Psychology has been plagued by unfalsifiable theories, and that is one reason why progress has been slow. Good theories are those that make specific predictions, and such theories are highly falsifiable. The confirmation of a specific prediction provides more support for the theory from which it was derived than the confirmation of a prediction that was not precise. In short, one implication of the falsifiability criterion is that all confirmations of theories are not equal. Theories that receive confirmation from highly falsifiable, highly specific predictions are to be preferred. Even when predictions are not confirmed, this falsification is useful to theory development. A falsified prediction indicates that a theory must either be discarded or altered so that it can account for the discrepent data pattern. Thus, it is by theory adjustment caused by falsified predictions that sciences such as psychology get closer to the truth.

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73
Q

Essentialism

A

THe idea that hte only good scientific theories are those that give ultimate explanations of the phenomena in terms of their underlying essences or their essential properties

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74
Q

Does science answer essentialist questions, or does it advance by developing operational definitions of concepts?

A

By developing operational definitions of concepts

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75
Q

Do scientists consider questions about “ultimates” to be answerable?

A

No

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76
Q

WHat is a common indication of the essentialist attitude?

A

An obsessive concern about defining the meaning of terms and concepts before the search for knowledge about them begins

“But we must first define our terms”

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77
Q

Are the meanings of concepts in science termined before or after extensive investigation of the phenomena that the term relates to?

A

After

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78
Q

WHat does essentialism lead us into?

A

Endless arguments about words

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79
Q

What has been the key to progress in all of the sciences in regards to essentialism?

A

To abandon it and to adopt operationism

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80
Q

Operationism

A

The idea that concepts in scientific theories must in some way be grounded in, or linked to, observable events that can be measured

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81
Q

Which is an operational definition?

1) Describing hunger as “that gnawing feeling I get in my stomach”
2) Describing hunger based off of definitions that involve some measurable context such as blood sugar levels

A

2

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82
Q

Is a concept in science defined by a set of operations, or by a single behavioral event or task?

A

A set

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83
Q

What do operational definitions force us to do?

A

Think carefully and empirically

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84
Q

What does operationalizing a concept in science involve?

A

Measurement

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85
Q

Measurement

A

Assigning a number to an observation via some rule

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86
Q

What 2 properties should a number have in science?

A

Reliability and validity

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87
Q

REliability

A

The consistency of a measuring instrument - whether you would arrive at the same measurement if you assessed the same concept multiple times

About consistency and nothing else

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88
Q

Is reliability alone sufficient?

A

It is necessary but not sufficient

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89
Q

Validity (COntruct Validity)

A

Whether a measuring instrument is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring

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90
Q

Test-Retest Reliability

A

“It would give virtually the same readings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday”

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91
Q

Interrater Reliability

A

“It would give the same reading no matter who used it”

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92
Q

What are we looking for in operational definitions in regards to reliability and validity

A

High reliability and high validity

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93
Q

Does high reliability and low validity get us anywhere?

A

No

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94
Q

Does low reliability and low validity get us anywhere?

A

No, it is completely useless

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95
Q

Does low reliability and high validity get us anywhere?

A

No, and it is impossible because you cannot claim to be measuring validly if you cannot measure reliably

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96
Q

Are most concepts defined directly or indirectly?

A

Indirectly

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97
Q

Latent Constructs

A

There are conce[ts that are not directly defined by observable operations but linked to other concepts that are

common in psychology

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98
Q

What does the “type A behavior pattern” provide an example of?

A

A concept with an indirect operational definition

99
Q

All conce[ts acquire their meaning partially through their link to…

A

Other obsercations

100
Q

When people think and talk about psychology, they often fail to recognize the need for…

A

Operationism

101
Q

Preexisting-Bias Problem

A

People come into a study of psychology with emotionally held beliefs about it

102
Q

What is one of the greatest sources of misunderstanding and one of the biggest impediments to the accurate presentation of psychological findings in the media?

A

The fact that many technical concepts in psychology are designated by words used in everyday language

103
Q

What is an issue with technical and colloquial speaking?

A

It is often unclear to a layperson whether a word is being used in a technical or colloquial sense

104
Q

Is operationism unique to psychology?

A

No, it is characteristic of all sciences

105
Q

What is the problem with all intuitively based systems of belief?

A

THey have no mechanism for deciding among conflicting claims

106
Q

Why do many people seem to abandon the idea of operationism when they approach psychology?

A

They seek essentialist answers to certain human problems

107
Q

What is a problem with psychology in regards to essentialism and the public?

A

The public demands answers to essentialist questions that it does not routinely demand of other sciences

108
Q

Parsimony

A

WHen two theories have the same explanatory power, the simpler theory is preferred, because this theory will likely be the more falsifiable of the two

109
Q

Chapter 3 Summary

A

Operational definitions are definitions of concepts stated in terms of observable operations that can be measured. One of the main ways that we ensure that theories are falsifiable is by making certain that the key concepts in theories have operational definitions stated in terms of well-replicated behavioral observations. Operational definitions are one major mechanism that makes scientific knowledge publicly verifiable. Such definitions are in the public domain so that the theoretical concepts that they define are testable by all - unlike “intuitive”, nonempircal definitions that are the special possession of particular individuals and not open to testing by everyone. Because psychology employs terms from common discourse, such as “intelligence” and “anciety”, and because many people have preexisting nothions bout what these terms mean, the necessity of operationally defining these terms is often not recognized. Psychology is like all other sciences in requiring operational definitions of its terms. However, people often cldemand answers to essentialist questions of psychology that they do not demand of other sciences. No science provides such answers to ultimate questions. Instead, psychology, like other sciences, seeks continually to refine its operational definitions so that the concepts in theories more accurately reflect the way the world actually is.

110
Q

Are case studies and testimonials good evidence for the evaluation of psychological theories and treatments?

A

No, they are virtually worthless

111
Q

Case Study

A

An investigation that looks intensely and in detail at a single individual or very small number of individuals. The usefulness of case study information is strongly determined by how far scientific investigation has advanced in a particular area. The insights gained may be useful in the early stages of the investigation of certain problems as indicators of which variables deserve more intense study

112
Q

When may case studies be useful?

A

In the early stages of investigation

113
Q

Are case studies useful at the later stages of investigation? Why?

A

No, because they cannot be used as confirming or disconfirming evidence

114
Q

What is the problem with testimonials and case studies?

A

They are isolated events

115
Q

What is the goal of experimental design?

A

TO structure events so that support of one particular explanation simultaneously disconfirms other explanations

116
Q

Why are control groups formed?

A

So that, when their results are compared with those from an experimental group, some alternative explanations are ruled out

117
Q

Placebo Effect

A

The tendency of people to report that any treatment has helped them, regardless of whether it has a real therapeutic elemnt

118
Q

What % is the placebo effect?

A

29%

119
Q

Spontaneous Remission

A

Many people with psychological problems of milk to moderate severity report improvement after receiving psychotherapy. However, controlled studies have demonstrated that some propertion of this recovery rate is due to a combination of placebo effects and the mere passage of time

120
Q

What is the problem with placebo effects and testimonials?

A

Placebo effects are so potent that, no matter how ludicrous the therapy, if it is administered to a large group of people a few will be willing to give a testimonial to its efficacy

121
Q

Vividness Effect

A

When faced with a problem-solving or decision-making situation, people retrieve from memory the information that seems relevant to the situation at hand. Thus, they are more likely to use the facts that are more accessible to solve a problem or make a decision.

Jumbo jet crashes will stop us flying but we will drive even though its is more dangerous

Person A wishes person B safety, when person A is in more danger

122
Q

What is one factor that strongly affects vividness accessibility?

A

The vividness of information

123
Q

What does the viviness of personal testimony often overshadow?

A

Other information of much higher reliability

124
Q

Most of the complex influences on our society are accurately captured only by numbers. What is the problem with this?

A

until the public learns to treat these numerical abstractions of reality as seriously as images, public opinion will be as fickle as the latest image to flicker across the screen.

125
Q

is it only the public that is plagued by the vividness problem?

A

no, experienced clinical practitioners struggle all the time with the tendency to have their judgment clouded by the overwhelming impact of the single case.

126
Q

P.T. Barnum Effect

A

The vast majority of individuals will endorse generalized personality summaries as accurate and specific descriptions of themselves

it is the basis of belief in the accuracy of palm readers and astrologists

127
Q

what does the Barnum effect provide an example of?

A

it provides an example of how easy it is to generate testimonials and, of course, show why they are worthless

128
Q

what is the opportunity cost of pseudo-sciences?

A

people spend time and money on pseudo-sciences and they gain nothing and waste time

129
Q

what do pseudoscientists usually claim?

A

that you can have high returns without risk

130
Q

what do testimonials do in regards to pseudosciences?

A

testimonials open the door to the development of and the believe in pseudosciences

131
Q

Chapter 4 Summary

A

Case study and testimonial evidence is useful in psychology in the very earliest stages of an investigation, when it is important to find interesting phenomena and important variables to examine futher. As useful as case study evidence is in the early stages of scientific investigation, it is virtually useless in the later stages, when theories are being put to specific tests. This is because, as an isolated phenomenon, the outcome of a case study leaves many alternative explanations. One way to understand why case studies and testimonial evidence are useless for theory testing is to consider the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the tendency of people to report that any treatment has helped them, regardless of whether the treatment had a real therapeutic element. The existence of placebo effects makes it impossible to prove the effectiveness of a psychological treatment by producing testimonials to its effectiveness. The reason is that the placebo effect guarantees that no matter that the treatment, it will be possible to produce testimonial evidence to its effectiveness. Despite the uselessness of testimonial evidence in theory testing, psychological research has indicated that such evidence is often weightedquite heavily by people because of the vividness effect: People overweight evidence that is more vivid and, hence, more retrievable from memory. One thing that is particularly vivid for most people is testimonial evidence. The rsult is an overreliance on such evidence in the justrification of specific psychological claims. In fact, testimonial and case study evidence cannot be used to justify general theoretical claims.

132
Q

Which is more relevant in regards to relationships? Strength or nature?

A

Nature

133
Q

What are 2 problems that prevent the drawing of a causal inference?

A
  1. The Third-Variable Problem

2. The Directionality Problem

134
Q

WHat does the Third-Variable Problem often result from?

A

Selection Bias

135
Q

The Third-Variable Problem

A

The fact that the correlation between the 2 variables may not indicate a direct causal path between them but may arise because both variables are related to a third variable that has not even been measured

136
Q

Multiple Regression

A

Allows the correlation between 2 variables to be recalculated after the influence of other variables is removed, or “factored out” or “partialed out”

137
Q

Why is academic achievement linked to private school attendance?

A

Not because of any direct causal mechanism, but because the family background and the general cognitive level of students in private schools are different from those of children in public schools

138
Q

Heat Hypothesis

A

Uncomfortable warm temperatures produce increases in aggressive motives and aggressive behavior

139
Q

What is the correlation between eye movement patterns and reading ability like?

A

Poorer readers make more erratic movements, display more regressions, and make more fixations per line of text

140
Q

Selection Bias

A

Refers to the relationships between certain subject and anvironmental variables that may arise when people with different biological, behavioral, and psychological characteristics select different types of environments.

Selection bias creates a spurious correlation between environmental characteristrics and behavioral-biological characteristics

141
Q

Jumping to conclusions when selection effects are present can lead us to make bad…

A

Real world choices

142
Q

The consumer’s rule regarding bias/cuasation?

A

Be on the lookout for instances of selection bias, and avoid inferring causation when data are only correlational

143
Q

CHapter 5 Summary

A

The central point of this chapter was to convey that the mere existence of a relationship between 2 variables does not guarantee that changes in one are causing changes in the other. The point is the correlation does not imply causation. 2 problems in interpreting correlational relationships were discussed. In the third-variable problem, the correlation between the 2 variables may not indicate a direct causal path between them but instead may arise because both variables are related to a third variable that has not even been measured. If, in fact, the potential third variable has been measured, correlational statistics such as partial correlation can be used to assess whether that third variable is determining the relationship.

The other thing that makes the interpretation of correlations difficult is the existence of the directionality problem: the fact that even if 2 variables are causally related, the direction of that relationship is not indicated by the mere presence of the correlation.

Selection bias is the reason for many spurious relationships in the behavioral sciences: the fact that people choose their own environments to some extent and thus create correlations between behavioral characteristics and environmental variables. As the example of pellegra demonstrated, and as will be illustrated extensively in the next 2 chapters, the only way to ensure that selection bias is not operating is to conducta true experiment in which the key variable is manipulated.

144
Q

Scientific thinking is based on the ideas of ____, ____, and ____

A

COmparison, control, manipulation

145
Q

What is the essential goal of experimental design?

A

To isolate a variable

146
Q

How do scientists weed out the maximum number of incorrect explanations?

A

Either by directly controlling the experimental situation or by observing the kinds of naturally occurring situations that allow them to test alternative explanations

147
Q

The variable manipulated is called the…

A

Independent variable

148
Q

The variable upon which the independent variable is posited to have an effect is called the…

A

Dependent variable

149
Q

The best experimental design is achieved when?

A

WHen the scientist can manipulate the variable of interest and control all the other extraneous variables affecting the situation

150
Q

Why do scientists attempt to manipulate a variable and to hold all other variables constant?

A

In order to eliminate alternative explanations

151
Q

Which generates stronger inferences? Direct or indirect manipulation?

A

Direct

152
Q

Random Assignment

A

Not the same thing as random sampling

The subjects themselves do not determine which experimental condition they will be in but, instead, are randomly assigned to one of the experimental groups

153
Q

COnfounding Variables

A

Extraneous variables that can affect dependent variables

Ex. IQ test scores, home environment

154
Q

2 strengths of random assignment

A
  1. In any given experiment, as the sample size gets larger, random assignment ensures that the 2 groups are relatively matched on all extraneous variables

In experiments where the matching is not perfect, the lack of systematic bias in random assignement allows us to be confident in any conclusions about cause as long as the study can be replicated. This is because, across a series of such experiments, differences between the 2 groups on confounding variables will balance out

155
Q

Field Experiment

A

A variable is manipulated in a nonlaboratory setting

156
Q

What must be do to maximize the number servered by finding out what works best in regards to social aid?

A

By doing actual experiments on the effects of social aid in real environments - you must run a “True Experiment”

157
Q

What did the case of Clever Hans help illustrate?

A

The importance of carefully distinguishing between the description of a phenomenon and the explanation of a phenomenon

Inferring that the horse had mathermatical abilities was a “hypothesized explanation” of the phenomenon

158
Q

Facilitated communication - what is it and what is wrong with it?

A

A technique for unlocking communicative capacity in nonverabl autistic individuals

The autistic child’s performance depended on tactile cuing by the facilitator

159
Q

SHaken Baby Syndrome

A

A theory of why a particular child has been presented with head trauma. The phenomenon is the nature of the head trauma itself. The precise description of the trauma is what has to be explained by whatever theory we have of how the trauma occurred

160
Q

What must scientists do to separate the causal influence of many simultaneously occurring events?

A

They must create situations that will never occur in the real world. Scientific experimentation breaks apart the natural correlations in the world to isolate the influence of a single variable

161
Q

Intuitive Physics

A

People’s beliefs about the motion of objects

These beliefs are often at striking variance from how moving objects actually behave

162
Q

Why are the layperson’s beliefs of motion so inaccurate?

A

Because his or her observations are “natural” rather than controlled in the manner of the scientist’s

163
Q

What do the many inadequacies in people’s intuitive theories of behavior illustrate?

A

Why we need the controlled experimentation of psychology: so that we can progress beyond our flat-earth conceptions of human behavior to a more accurate scientific conceptualization

164
Q

Chapter 6 Summary

A

The heart of the experimental method involves manipulation and control. This is why an experiment allows stronger causal inferences than a correlational study. In a correlational study, the investigator simply observes whether the natural fluctuation in two variables displays a relationship. By contrast, in a true experiment the investigator manipulates the variable hypothesized to be the cause and looks for an effect on the variable hypothesized to be the effect while holding all other variables constant by control and randomization. This method removes the third-variable problem present in correlational studies. The third-variable problem arises because, in the natural world, many different things are related. The experimental method may be viewed as a way of prying apart these naturally occurring relationships. It does so because it isolates one particular variable by manipulting it and holding everything else constant. However, in order to pry apart naturally occurring relationships, scientists often have to create special conditions that are unknown in the natural world.

165
Q

Is the artificiality of scientific experimentation a weakness?

A

No, it is the very thing that gives the scientific method its unique power to yield explanations about the nature of the world

166
Q

Are random sampling and random assignment the same thing?

A

No, they are similar only in that they make use of the properties of random number generation

167
Q

Random Sampling

A

Refers to how subjects are chosen to be part of a study

Not a requirement for research
Draws a sample from the population in a manner that ensures that each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen

It is not a true experiment unless random assignment is ALSO used

168
Q

What are the requirements for a true experiment?

A

Random sampling AND random assignment

169
Q

Random Assignment

A

Is achieved when each subject is just as likely to be assigned to the control group as to the experimental group

170
Q

WHich does most psychological research not employ? Random sampling or random assignment?

A

Random sampling because it is not necessary

171
Q

If random assignment is employed in a study, then it becomes a ___ ____. If random assignment is not employed, then the study is a ___ ____.

A

True experiment

Correlational investigation

172
Q

What is an example of directly applied research?

A

Election polling

173
Q

Basic Research

A

Research that focuses primarily on theory testing

174
Q

Dark Adaptation

A

The process through which our eyes can see in the dark

175
Q

Almost every medical advance in the treatment of human illness has involved data from…

A

Animal studies

176
Q

College SOphomore Problem

A

The worry that, because college sophomores are the subjects in an extremely large number of psychological investigations, the generality of the results is in question

Sometimes overstated, particularly by those who are unfamiliar with the full range of activities that go on in psychology

177
Q

Weapons Effect

A

The mere presence of a weapon in a person’s environment increases the probability of an aggressive response. This finding originated in the laboratory and is a perfect example of an unrepresentative situation

It is a process of automatic priming in semantic memory

178
Q

In psychology, where do most replication failures come from?

A

They are rarely due to peculiarities, but instead, are mostly due to subtle differences in experimental stimuli and methods

179
Q

Chapter 7 Summary

A

Some psychological research is applied work in which the goal is to relate the results of the study directly to a particular situation. In such applied research, in which the results are intended to be extrapolated directly to a naturalistic situation, questions of the randomenss of the sample and the representativeness of the conditions are important because of the findings of the study are going to be applied directly. However, most psychological research is not of this type. It is basic research designed to test theories of the underlying mechanisms that influence behavior. In most basic research, the findings are applied only indirectly through modifications in a theory that will at some later point be applied to some practical problem. In basic research of this type, random sampling of subjects and representative situations are not an issue because the emphasis is on testing the universal prediction of a theory. In fact, artificial situations are deliberately constructed in theory-testing basic research because they help to isolate the critical variable for study and to control extraneous variables. Thus, the fact that psychology experiments are “not like real life” is a strength rather than a weakness.

180
Q

What is one of the main problems that arises from breakthrough headlines?

A

The implication that all problems in science are solved when a single, crucial experiment completely decides the issue, or that theoretical advance is the result of a single insight

181
Q

What must a new throy in science do to be considered an advance?

A

It must make contact with previously established empirical facts; it must not only explain new facts but also account for old ones

182
Q

How do scientists usually find answers from experiments?

A

THe must evaluate data from dozens of experiments, each containing some flaws but each providing a small part of the answer

183
Q

Are experiments in science perfectly designed?

A

No, not one experiment is perfectly designed

184
Q

The Principle of COnverging Evidence (or converging operations)

A

When evidence from a wide range of experiments points in a similar direction, then the evidence has converged. A reasonably strong conclusion is justified even though no one experiment was perfectly designed

Thus, the principle urges us to base conclusions on data that arise from a number of slightly different sources

The principle allows us to draw stronger conclusions due to consistency of experimental procedure

185
Q

When is research highly convergent?

A

When a series of experiments consistently supports a given theory while collectively eliminating the most important competing theory

186
Q

Just as theories are confirmed by converging evidence, they are also ___ by converging results

A

Disconfirmed

187
Q

What is the reason for stressing the importance of convergence?

A

Conclusions in psych are often based on the principle of converging evidence

The principle can be viewed as a counterweight to the warnings against overinterpreting tentative knoweldge

188
Q

Are longitudinal correlational techniques controversial?

A

Yes

189
Q

Field Experiment

A

A study conducted in the field rather than in the lab

190
Q

What are the drawbacks of epidemiological studies?

A

They are always correlational, and the possiblity of spurious links between variables is high

191
Q

What are the drawbacks of laboratory studies?

A

They can be highly controlled, but the subjects are often animals rather than humans

192
Q

What are the drawbacks of clinical trials?

A

Theyre are many problems of control because of placebo effects and expectations

193
Q

WHich is empirical evidence usually found in? Breakthroughs (great leaps) or scientific consensus (gradual synthesis)

A

gradual synthesis

194
Q

Unresponsive BYstander Phenomenon

A

The failure of some people to respond with help when observing another individual in an emergency situation

195
Q

What is the progression from case studies?

A

Case studies –> correlational studies –> experiments with manipulated variables

Research on a particular problem often proceeds from weaker methods to ones that allow more powerful conclusions to be drawn

196
Q

When does correlational evidence surpass experimental manipulation evidence?

A

In areas where there are ethical reasons that disallow manipulation

ex. birth order, human malnutrition, sex, age - they cannot be manipulated

197
Q

Do scientific concepts evolve?

A

Yes

198
Q

Meta-ANalysis

A

The combining of evidence from the disparate studies to form a conclusion

The results of several studies that address the same research hypothesis are combined statistically

199
Q

Chapter 8 Summary

A

In this chapter, we have seen how the breakthrough model of scientific advance is a bad model for psychology and why the gradual-synthesis model provides a better framework for understanding how conclusions are reached in psychology. The principle of converging operations describes how research results are synthesized in psychology: No one experiment is definitive, but each helps us to rule out at least some alternative explanations and, thus, aids in the process of homing in on the truth. The use of a variety of different methods makes psychologists more confident that their conclusions rest on a solid empircal fohndation. FInally, when conceptual change occurs, it adheres to the principle of connectivity: New theories not only must account for new scientific data but must also provide an explanation of the previously existing database

200
Q

Behavior is ___ determined

A

Multiply

Any particular behavior is caused not by one variable but by a large number of different variables.

To conclude that there is a significant causal connection between variable A and behavior B does not mean that variable A is the only cause of behavior B

People often forget that it is multiply determined

201
Q

People often forget that behavior is multiply determined. They seem to want to find the so-called “____ ____” - the one cause of the behavioral outcome that interests them

A

Magic Bullet

202
Q

If the behavior in question is of great importance, then knowing how to control only a small propertion of it can be…

A

Extremely useful

203
Q

Does the fact that an outcome is determined by many different variables reduce the importance of any one variable that is causally related to the outcome, even if the variable accounts for only a small portion of the outcome?

A

No

204
Q

The Concept of Interaction

A

The magnitude of the efffect that one variable has may depend on the level of another variable

205
Q

When do people have a tendency to ignore the principle of multiple causation?

A

When they have preexisting bias

206
Q

Zero Sum attitude

A

All causes compete with one another and that emphasizing one necessarily reduces the emphasis on another

THis view of causes is incorrect

207
Q

Zero Sum Game

A

One person’s gain is another’s loss

Often characterizes our discussions of emotionally charged issues

We usually tend to forget the principle of multiple causation

208
Q

Are most problems that psychologists investigate single determined or multiply determined?

A

Multiply

209
Q

Chapter 9 Summary

A

The single lesson of this chapter is an easy but important one. WHen thinking about the causes of behavior, think in terms of multiple causes. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that a particular behavior must have a single cause. Most behaviors of any complexity are multiply determined. A variety of factors act to cause their occurrence. Sometimes these factors intereact when in combination. That is, the effect of the variables acting together is different than what one would have expected from simply studying them in isolation.

210
Q

Probabilistic Trend

A

It is more likely than not but does not hold true in all cases

Ex. the relationship between sex and height is stated in terms of likelihoods and probabilities rather than certainties

211
Q

Is probabilistic prediction real prediction?

A

Yes

212
Q

Virtually all the facts and relationships that have been uncovered by the science of psychology are stated in terms of…

A

Probabilities

213
Q

Person-Who statistics

A

Aka Old Joe Ferguson

Situations in which well-established statistical trends are questions because someone knows a “person who” went against the trend

214
Q

Why is the person-who argument used so frequently?

A

Because people experience great difficulty in dealing with probabilistic information

215
Q

What may be the Achilles’ heal of human cognition?

A

Probabilistic reasoning

216
Q

Aggregate or Actuarial Prediction

A

The prediction of outcomes based on group characteristics

The ability to forecast group trends accurately is often very informative

217
Q

WHat is a good way to start developing the skill of probabilistic thinking?

A

To become aware of the most common fallacies that arise when people reason statistrically

218
Q

The Vividness Problem

A

There is a tendency for concrete single-case information to overwhelm more abstract probabilistic information in people’s judgements

219
Q

Cognitive Illusions

A

Even when people know the correct answer, they may be drawn to an incorrect conclusion by the structure of the problem

220
Q

What is the case with smaller samples?

A

THey will always generate more extreme valuesq

221
Q

Is the gambler’s fallacy restricted to games of chance?

A

No, it operates in almost everything

222
Q

WHy will truly random sequences often not seem random to people?

A

Because of our tendency to see patterns everywhere

223
Q

Chapter 10 Summary

A

As in most sciences, the conclusions that are drawn from psychological research are probabilistic conclusions - generalizations that hold more often than not but that do not apply in every single case. The predictions derived from psychological findings and theories are still useful even though they are not 100 percent accurate. One thing that prevents the understanding of much psychological research is that many people have difficulty thinking in probabilistic terms. In this chapter, we discussed several well-researched examples of how probabilistic reasoning goes astray for many people: they make insufficient use of probabilistic information when they also have vivid testimonial evidence available; they fail to take into account the fact that larger samples give more accurate estimates of population values; and, finally, they display the gambler’s fallacy (the tendency to see links among events that are really independent). The gambler’s fallacy derives from a more general tendency that we will discuss in the next chapter: the tendency to fail to recognize the role of chance in determining outcomes.

224
Q

When is the quest for conceptual understanding maladaptive for humans?

A

WHen it takes place in an environment in which there is nothing to conceptualize

225
Q

When we say that something is due to chance, what don’t we mean, and what do we mean?

A

We do not necessarily mean that it is indeterminate

We mean that it is currently indeterminable

226
Q

Illusory Correlation

A

The tendency to explain chance events

People tend to see their expected correlation even in random events

227
Q

The Illusion of COntrol

A

The tendency to believe that personal skill can affect outcomes determined by chance

228
Q

Just-World Hypothesis

A

The fact that people tend to believe that they live in a world in which people get what they deserve

229
Q

IS chance biased or unbiased?

A

Unbiased

230
Q

Coincidence

A

An occurrence of related events that is due to chance

231
Q

Oddmatch

A

Signifies two evence whose co-occurrence strikes us as odd or strange

232
Q

Do oddmatches occur purely due to chance?

A

Yes

233
Q

The laws of probability guarantee that as the number of events increases, the probability that some oddmatch will ocur…

A

Becomes very high

234
Q

Chapter 11 Smmary

A

The role of chance in psychology is often misunderstood by the lay public and by clinical practitioners alike. People find it difficult to recognize that part of the variability in behavioral outcomes is determined by chance factors. That is, variation in behavior is in part a function of random factors and, thus, psychologists should not claim to be able to predict behavior case by case. Instead, psychological predictions are probabilistic - predictions of aggregate trends.

The error if implying that psychological predictions can be made at the level of the individual is often made by clinical psychologists themselves, who sometimes mistakenly imply that clinical training confers an intuitive ability to predict an individual case. Instead, decades’ worth of research has consistenly indicated that actuarial prediction (prediction in terms of group statistical tends) is superior to clinical prediction in accounting for human behavior. There is no evidence of a clinical intuition that can predict whether a statistical trend will hold or not in a particular case. THus, statistical information should never be set aside when one is predicting behavior. Statistical prediction also correctly signals that there will always be errors and uncertainties when one is predicting human behavior.

235
Q

Actuarial Prediction

A

Predictions based on group trends derived from statistical records

236
Q

Clinical/Case Prediction

A

Predictions of the outcomes of particular individuals

Doesn’t work

237
Q

Which is superior? Actuarial Prediction of Clinical PRediction?

A

Actuarial

238
Q

WHat makes Actuarial prediction better than clinical prediction?

A

Consistency

239
Q

What are the 3 works on psychology that most people may come across?

A

Pseudoscience
Classics (Freud) etc
Self-help literature

240
Q

What are the “big three” in self help literature?

A

Making more money
Losing more weight
Having better sex

241
Q

Where does psychology need to improve?

A

Communication to the public

242
Q

Describe the Jekyll and Hyde of psychology?

A

Extremely rigorous science exists right alongside pseudoscientific and antiscientific attitudes.

243
Q

Much of our personal psychological knowledge is ___ knowledge

A

Recipe

We do certain things because we think they will lead others to behave in a certain way

244
Q

What is the main thing that distinguishes personal psychology from scientific psychology?

A

The science of psychology seeks to validate its recipe knowledge empirically

245
Q

What are psuedoscientific claims usually based on?

A

Ad hoc hypotheses
Emphasis on confirmation
Tendency to place the burden of proof on skeptics
Excessive reliance on testimonial evidence
Evasion of peer review
Lack of connectivity

Psych 180 (5 decks)

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