Lecture Week 1 Flashcards
Define Psychology
The Scientific investigation of mental processes and behaviour
How do we study the mind?
- we need generally agreed on methods to be developed and taught
- We developed the Scientific Method
What is the mind?
- An abstract concept and construct but we know the conscious exists
- ## not discernible using the senses
Cognitive & Information Processes Revolution
- gave us more tangible constructs to work with to define the mind
- Store, retrieve, compute, memory these concepts help us define the mind.
- Second part of psychology becomes the mind
Second part of psychology becomes the mind
- Investigate Mental Processes
- How does the mind produce behaviour
In order to study the mind we need . . .
- to agree on a process of study
-
How do we think we know something about reality?
- Existential concepts
- It is very hard to decide how we really know things
- Is there such a thing as Free Will
Tenacity
Acquiring Knowledge through Superstition or Habit
Intuition
Acquiting knowledge not based on reasoning or inference or common sense
Authority
Accepting knowledge from a highly respected source
Rationalism
Acquiring knowledge through reasoning
Epiricism
Acquiring knowledge through experience
Two ways to back up your thoughts in your writing in a paper
- Cite empirical evidence and reference
2. Rationalise through reason and logic; if, then, else.
Why do we need the scientific method?
- Human judgement is not trustworthy
Heuristics
A heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows people to solve problems and make judgments quickly and efficiently
- Allows us to make connections quickly
eg: Blue Taxi vs Green Taxi example.
Reliance on Intuition
- Removes objectivity we “feel” like we have free will.
- We learn that it is useful to rely on our instincts so we do have free will.
Heuristics/Biases
- Mental short cuts and preconceived ideas prevent us from being objective
Perception vs Reality
- perception is subject to the individual mind and its method of processing input
- Is perception actually reality
- We don’t actually SEE reality; we IMPOSE what we see as tools on the world.
eg: we perceive a chair, we impose our knowledge of its use on it and conclude therefore the chair is real. - We see its use
Human Observation
- Isn’t reliable as it is subjective to perception
Reliance on Authority
- Higher authorities are human and therefore also fallible
- Asch Experiment shows we can be coerced into changing our own perceptions
- Milgram Experiment shows how reliance on authority is ingrained in us but can produce incongruent behaviour
How do psychologists know things?
Apply the scientific method
What are some non science ways of knowing?
- Tenacity
- Intuition
- Authority
- Rationalism
- Empiricism
Why don’t we trust human judgement
- Unreliable, malleable, perception vs reality, biases etc
How do we hope to gain knowledge?
- science requires that knowledge is based on evidence
- Assigning likelihood of one result to occur for one alternative over another
What do we accept as evidence?
- Evidence must be reproducible
- Other people must be able to verify it.
- Objective evidence requires objective process
What is the goal of Science (4)
- Describe
- Predict
- Determine Cause
- Explain
Goal of Science - Describe
- give an accurate description of knowledge that can be observed by others
eg: In the dark I cannot see
Goal of Science - Predict
- Gives rise to posit that something will happen as a result of something else.
- something is true because it works through prediction.
eg: In the dark I cannot see. If I turn on a light it will illuminate the room and I will see
Goal of Science - Determine Cause
- We investigate what could create the situation being observed.
- When tested over and over again then we could reliably establish a cause
eg: I turned on the light repeatedly and the light globe illuminated the room each time
Goal of Science - Explain
- Provide an adequate reason as to why something works and is therefore real.
eg: The house has been wired with electricity and therefore every time I turn on the light it will illuminate the room.
So what is good scientific research (7)
- Based on the work of others
- Can be replicated
- Is generalisable to other settings
- Based on logical rationale and tied to a theory
- Is doable
- Generates new questions
- Is incremental
- Is an apolitical activity
Falsifying a Theory
- For a statement to be true it needs to withstand rigorous testing
- a hypothesis or statement must be inherently disprovable for it to be true.
- Science is a series of conjectures and refutations
What does good research have in common
- the Process that is taken to find the truth
- applying the scientific method
- if the process is sound then the conclusion is sound
what is the Hypothetico-Deductive Model of Research?
- Devised by Karl Popper (1959)
- No statements in science that cannot be tested through falsification.
- Theories cannot be proven but they can be falsified.
- Once a theory cannot be falsified then it is considered true
eg: All swans are white. Good scientist won’t accept finding 100 white swans as sufficient evidence that all swans are white.
They will actively seek out evidence that black or other coloured swans exist
Can we ever really know the truth?
- Scientific Method is the best way to establish the truth of our beliefs
- a way of observing, thinking about, solving problems
- Is objective and systematic in its approach
The Process of the Scientific Method (8)
- Asking the question
- Identify the important factors
- Formulate a hypothesis
- Collect relevant information
- Test the hypothesis
- Work with the hypothesis
- Reconsider the theory
- Ask new questions
The Scientific Process - Asking a question
- The result off curiosity or need
- Questions guide the direction research takes
- Usually arise out of everyday experiences
The Scientific Process - Identifying important factors (5)
- Not have been investigated previously
- Contribute to understanding
- Available to investigate
- Hold interest personally and/or professionally
- Lead to other questions
The Scientific Process - Formulate a hypothesis
- a prediction or educated guess based on theory.
- What would happen if true
- Posit an expected relationship
- Declarative, brief and to the point
- reflect theory and literature
Emotional Valence
- The value we associate with something (stimulus)
- we measure on a continuum from positive to negative
- also measured from attractive to aversive.
Theories, Questions and Hypotheses
- Facts first
- Then Hypothesis
- Then collect data and test hypothesis
- Attempt to falsify
- the hypothesis failed to be rejected
- Leads to theory
- Leads to prediction
- Although Karl Popper would say Theory comes first, then the facts
Collecting Relevant Information
- We want to test a hypothesis not prove it
- reveal the truth whether we like the result or not
- wrong isn’t bad, just ask more questions
- always ask another question
Testing a hypothesis
- Do testing in various circumstances
- try to find differences to see if they are random or not
- Use inferential statistics to assign a probability level to a finding
Inferential Statistics
- using a random sample of data about a population to describe the population
Working with a hypothesis
- Does the data support your hypothesis?
- Results provide valuable information even when that data doesn’t support the hypothesis
- Will the scientific community respect “null” results
Finally . . . asking new questions and reconsider the theory
- consider the work so far and start the whole process again.
Important points to consider in the Scientific Process
- All theories are tentative and evolving
- observations must be replicable
- Acknowledge that science is fallible
- Nothing is ever Proved absolutely
- remain sceptical and alert to alternative explanations
- science and research are a matter of attitude
