Scientific Attitude
What are the three key components of a scientific attitude?
curiosity, skepticism, & humility
What does critical thinking involve in psychology?
evaluating, analyzing, & interpreting claims to form an evidence-based argument
What is the "I-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon?
hindsight bias
What is a hypothesis in scientific research?
a testable prediction...statement of relationship between/among variables ("If-then" statement)
What is a case study & when is it useful?
an in-depth analysis of an individual or group; useful when something is new, complex or fairly rare
What is the role of curiosity in the context of psychology as a science?
passion for exploration
Why is skepticism crucial to critical thinking?
It is crucial to doubt & ask questions. Critical thinking DOES NOT blindly/automatically accept arguments & conclusions.
How does overconfidence influence our perceptions of knowledge?
It is when we tend to think we know more than we actually do.
What is falsifiability mean in psychology?
the possibility that an idea, hypothesis, or theory can be DISPROVEN (Can it be proven wrong?)
What is a naturalistic observation and its significance?
observation of human or animal behavior in the environment in which it typically occurs without trying to manipulate and control the situation; it's valuable where other methods are likely to be disruptive or misleading
Why is humility important in scientific research?
humbleness to accept when wrong
How does confirmation bias affect critical thinking?
It is something to watch out for as it negatively impacts critical thinking. It's when you are look for evidence to confirm your beliefs while ignoring all other evidence that may disprove it. This can be intentional or unintentional.
What is pseudoscience? Give 2 examples.
FAKE; popular beliefs that seem to be related to science (I.e. star readings, astrology, psychics, horoscopes)
What is peer review & why is it important?
a process where articles/studies are evaluated by experts in the field before they are published in academic journals; provide feedback & recommendations to the authors; helps improve the research (gives a different view)
How do surveys gather data in psychology?
technique for ascertaining the self-reported attitudes, opinions, or behaviors of people usually by questioning a representative, random sample of people
What is the role of skepticism in scientific exploration?
doubting & questioning
What is the impact of hindsight bias on our understanding of psychology?
It is the "I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon." (AFTER the event has already occurred)
What is confirmation bias and how can it manifest in research?
It is when you look for evidence to confirm your beliefs while ignoring all other evidence that may disprove it. It can change what you're research by CHOOSING certain things over others.
What is the role of operational definitions in conducting research?
precise definitions (measurable & manageable) of a variable being observed so that it can be REPLICATED (do again to further prove or disprove the theory)
What is sampling bias and how can it affect research findings?
a flawed sampling process that produces an unrepresentative sample; NOT generalizable
They enable the distinction between gut intuition (common sense) & scientific attitude.
What is an example of how critical thinking can prevent pseudoscience?
When confronted with a claim, critical thinkers ask for empirical evidence from well-designed studies to support such claims, rather than accepting at face value.
Why is psychology as a science more than just common sense?
It relies on rigorous scientific methods to test and verify hypotheses about human behavior, rather than simply relying on personal intuition, which can often be biased and inaccurate.
What is the difference between a theory & a hypothesis?
theory: set of facts/observations that are testable explanations
hypothesis: specific, testable prediction (usually implied by a theory)
What is the importance of representative samples in psychological research?
it's a smaller group that gives a “snapshot” of the total population so that it is GENERALIZABLE