Chapter One: The Science of Psychology

1. Chapter One: The Science of Psychology

2. Ways to Acquire Knowledge

3. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Tenacity

4. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Tenacity • Refers to the continued presentation of a particular bit of information. When we hear a statement repeated a sufficient number of times, we have a tendency to accept it as being true.

5. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Authority

6. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Authority • Acceptance of knowledge from an authority; taking someone’s word for it; also depends on the credibility of the person presenting the information.

7. Psychological Detective • What problems can you identify with acquiring knowledge through tenacity and authority?

8. Psychological Detective • What problems can you identify with acquiring knowledge through tenacity and authority? • You have no way of knowing if the knowledge you have gained is true.

9. Psychological Detective • What problems can you identify with acquiring knowledge through tenacity and authority? • You have no way of knowing if the knowledge you have gained is true. • The inability or unwillingness of tenacity and authority to change in the face of contradictory evidence.

10. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Experience

11. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Experience • Experiencing something firsthand or directly.

12. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Experience • Experiencing something firsthand or directly. • Is all experience perfectly accurate?

13. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Reason and Logic

14. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Reason and Logic • Based on the premise that we can apply reason and logic to a situation in order to gain knowledge and understanding. This process is frequently called a logical syllogism.

15. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Reason and Logic • Based on the premise that we can apply reason and logic to a situation in order to gain knowledge and understanding. This process is frequently called a logical syllogism. • An example of a logical syllogism is the assumption that “beautiful people are good.”

16. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science

17. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science • The key elements of the scientific approach are:

18. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science • The key elements of the scientific approach are: • Objective measurements of the phenomenon under consideration

19. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science • The key elements of the scientific approach are: • Objective measurements of the phenomenon under consideration • The ability to verify or confirm the measurements made by other individuals

20. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science • The key elements of the scientific approach are: • Objective measurements of the phenomenon under consideration • The ability to verify or confirm the measurements made by other individuals • Self-correction of errors and faulty reasoning

21. Ways to Acquire Knowledge • Science • The key elements of the scientific approach are: • Objective measurements of the phenomenon under consideration • The ability to verify or confirm the measurements made by other individuals • Self-correction of errors and faulty reasoning • Exercising control to rule out the influence of unwanted factors

22. Ways to Acquire Knowledge (recap) • Tenacity • Authority • Experience • Reason and Logic • Science

23. Psychological Detective

24. Psychological Detective • Review the methods for acquiring knowledge that we presented. How does the scientific method avoid the problems associated with tenacity, authority, experience, and reason & logic?

25. Components of the Scientific Method

26. Components of the Scientific Method • Objectivity

27. Components of the Scientific Method • Objectivity • A good researcher strives to be as objective as possible.

28. Components of the Scientific Method • Objectivity • A good researcher strives to be as objective as possible. • Psychologists select research participants in such a manner as to avoid biasing factors (such as age or sex).

29. Components of the Scientific Method • Objectivity • A good researcher strives to be as objective as possible. • Psychologists select research participants in such a manner as to avoid biasing factors (such as age or sex). • Researchers frequently make their measurements with instruments in order to be as objective as possible. We describe such measurements as being empirical because they are based on objectively quantifiable observations.

30. Components of the Scientific Method

31. Components of the Scientific Method • Confirmation of Findings

32. Components of the Scientific Method • Confirmation of Findings • Because the procedures and measurements are objective, we should be able to repeat them and confirm the original results. Confirmation of findings is important for establishing the validity of research.

33. Components of the Scientific Method • Confirmation of Findings • Because the procedures and measurements are objective, we should be able to repeat them and confirm the original results. Confirmation of findings is important for establishing the validity of research. • Psychologists use the term replication to refer to a research study that is conducted in exactly the same manner as a previous study. A replication with extension generates new information at the same time it confirms previous findings.

34. Components of the Scientific Method

35. Components of the Scientific Method • Self-correction

36. Components of the Scientific Method • Self-correction • Errors and faulty reasoning that become apparent should lead to a change in the conclusions we reach.

37. Components of the Scientific Method • Self-correction • Errors and faulty reasoning that become apparent should lead to a change in the conclusions we reach. • If experimental evidence fails to support the predicted relations between our independent and dependent variables, we change our view about how nature operates.

38. Components of the Scientific Method

39. Components of the Scientific Method • Control

40. Components of the Scientific Method • Control • Direct manipulation of factors of major interest.

41. Components of the Scientific Method • Control • Direct manipulation of factors of major interest. • An experiment is an implementation of control by manipulating the factor(s) that is the central focus of research.

42. Components of the Scientific Method • Control • Direct manipulation of factors of major interest. • An experiment is an implementation of control by manipulating the factor(s) that is the central focus of research. • Control of unwanted factors

43. Components of the Scientific Method • Control • Direct manipulation of factors of major interest. • An experiment is an implementation of control by manipulating the factor(s) that is the central focus of research. • Control of unwanted factors • Potentially influential and undesirable factors (other than the factor of major interest) are not allowed to change.

44. Components of the Scientific Method (recap) • Objectivity • Confirmation of findings • Self-correction • Control

45. The Psychological Experiment • Experiment

46. The Psychological Experiment • Experiment • An attempt to determine the cause-and-effect relations that exist in nature.

47. The Psychological Experiment • Experiment • An attempt to determine the cause-and-effect relations that exist in nature. • Researchers are interested in determining those factors that result in or cause predictable events.

48. The Psychological Experiment • In its most basic form the psychological experiment consists of three related factors:

49. The Psychological Experiment • In its most basic form the psychological experiment consists of three related factors: • The independent variable

50. The Psychological Experiment • In its most basic form the psychological experiment consists of three related factors: • The independent variable • The dependent variable