The Science of Psychology

Question 1

What are the 5 ways that we acquire beliefs?

Answer 1

1) Tenacity 2) Authority 3) experience 4) empirical evidence 5) Logical syllogisms

Question 2

What is tenacity?

Answer 2

When you believe something because thats what you’ve always heard

Question 3

What is authority?

Answer 3

When an authority or power figure says something and you believe it because they are superior to you.

Question 4

What is experience?

Answer 4

When our experience with something makes us believe something.

Question 5

What is empirical evidence?

Answer 5

Systematic or formal observation to obtain objective, reliable, valid, quantitative measures of our interests.

Question 6

What are logical syllogisms?

Answer 6

Ex) All pregnant people are women. Megan is pregnant. Therefor Megan is a woman. System of rules regarding the relationship between premises and conclusions.

Question 7

What are conversion errors?

Answer 7

A common logical reasoning error. Ex) All pregnant people are women. Megan is a woman. Megan is pregnant.

Question 8

What are the 3 belief systems that form the basis for scientific reasoning?

Answer 8

Experience, empirical evidence, and logical syllogisms.

Question 9

What are the 4 features of the scientific method?

Answer 9

Objectivity, replication, self-correction, and control.

Question 10

What is objectivity?

Answer 10

When something is measured without being coloured by one’s subjective biases. Measurement is instead driven by the “object” of interest.

Question 11

What is replication?

Answer 11

Conducting a study in the exact same manner as a previous study in order to see if you can find the same findings.

Question 12

What is self-correction?

Answer 12

If your theories aren’t supported, you should change them! ex) the idea that facial features could determine personality.

Question 13

What is control?

Answer 13

One of the most important parts of the scientific method. You have to have…
1) direct control over variables of interest
2) Control for unwanted, pre-existing differences in conditions that could influence the results.
Control is ESSENTIAL for cause and effect

Question 14

What is an independent variable?

Answer 14

The factor directly manipulated by the researcher.

Question 15

What is the dependent variable?

Answer 15

The factor that is measured by the researcher (depends on the independent variable).

Question 16

What are confounding variables?

Answer 16

Other unwanted, and uncontrolled factors that could influence the DV-they invalidate the experiment.

Question 17

What are subject and quasi independent variables?

Answer 17

Subject-Individual differences such as age, gender, ethnicity, IQ etc. May be hypothesized to have causal effects but researcher can’t manipulate
Quasi-Other variables that may have effects but the researcher can’t manipulate (ex: weather, laws, geographical region).