scientific understanding of behaviour Flashcards
alternative explanations
other possible explanations or influences for outcome of an experiment
applied research
research that looks at practical problems and tries to find possible solutions
applied research example
testing if virtual exposure therapy decreases symptoms of spider phobia
authority
when we make a decision by placing our trust in someone who we think knows more than we do
basic research
research that tries to answer questions about nature of behaviour
basic research example
studying how stress affects productivity
covariation of cause and effect
process of developing a cause and effect relationship between variables
empiricism
use of observation or experiences to gain knowledge
falsifiable
ability to test if a claim is true
-has to be able to define something first to measure it
example of falsifiable question
does listening to music make people happy?
example of unfalsifiable statement
does God exist?
goals of scientific research
-describe behaviour
-predict behaviour
-determine causes of behaviour
-understand or explain behaviour
to describe behaviour
look at how things occur in natural setting without manipulating it
to predict behaviour
once observation has found that 2 events consistently occur together you can make predictions and anticipate events
determine causes of behaviour
only use experiments to find cause of relationship
-if we know the cause of behaviour than we can change it
