Lec. 2 (critical thinking/research strategies) Flashcards
every goal of psychology requires gathering __________
knowledge
the science of psychology helps us make ____________ conclusions
fact-based
psychology separates _______ and _______
facts and opinions (are NOT the same)
many people believe that _______ and _________ are enough to bring forth answers regarding human nature… but its not.
intuition + common sense
intuition and common sense helps, but they are not free of error; they are highly __________, even without realizing it
biased
unreliable way of thinking; biased thought
intuition + common sense
types of Biases (2):
- hindsight bias
- overconfidence
type of bias: “I knew it all along;” after learning the outcome of an event, many ppl believe they could have predicted that very outcome (ex: 9/11); very well documented
hindsight bias
hindsight bias leads to _________ in intuition
overconfidence
T/F: only some people are susceptible to hindsight bias
false (everyone has at least a little bit)
type of bias: sometimes we think we know more than we actually know; all humans tend to do this
overconfidence
what experiment was used to observe overconfidence in humans?
jumbled words challenge
used to get around bias; slowing down your thinking; takes effort
critical thinking
the purpose of RESEARCH in psychology is to examine the world in a _________ and ______ manner
critical + discerning
critical thinking steps/questions (5):
- WHAT am I being asked to believe or accept?
- what EVIDENCE is available to support the assertion?
- are there ALTERNATIVE ways of interpreting the evidence?
- what ADDITIONAL evidence would help to evaluate the alternatives?
- what conclusions are most REASONABLE?
a specific, self-correcting method for ASKING questions and GETTING answers; critical thinking on steroids; standardized way to approach a question and get an answer back
scientific method
components of scientific method
1) theory
2) hypothesis
3) research
4) variables
5) operational definitions
an explanation that can predict behavior or events (ex: “low self-esteem causes depression)
theory
a theory generates a __________
hypothesis
a TESTABLE prediction, often prompted by a theory, to enable us to accept, reject, or revise a theory (ex: “ppl with low self-esteem are likely to feel more depressed”)
hypothesis
if a hypothesis is unable to be tested, then the _________ was bad
theory
involves administering tests in an attempt to answer a question (ex: give a group of ppl a self-esteem test; measure their self-esteem and level of depression)
research
how you measure a hypothesis; involves variables; a hypothesis must be stated in terms of the operations and methods which will be used to measure it (ex: individuals who score low on a self-esteem test and high on a depression test would confirm our hypothesis)
operational definitions
scientific method steps (4):
1) formulate hypothesis
2) gather evidence
3) evaluate evidence
4) determine if hypothesis is confirmed or not
