PSYC217 Lecture (Sep 14th) - Chapter 1 Principles Principles of Science + Hypotheses Unscientific Method (non-data-driven methods) - Intuition " How do you initially feel about something? Pros o Good starting point/inspiration for a research question o Quick & accessible knowledge Cons o Illusory correlation (finding a connection and relationship between two uncorrelated situations) o Not representative or factual o Subject to prejudices and misconceptions - Common sense/folk wisdom " Appealing to what one expects everyone else to know " "Opposites attract" > looking for a partner, look for someone different " "Early bird gets the worm", "Curiosity killed the cat", "Money doesn't buy happiness" · Pros > good start for research ideas, · Cons o Most of the time, people only remember when they are true (factual) o Confirmation bias (tendency to remember things that confirm our beliefs and ideas, and neglect things that juxtapose or go against our ideas) o Often contradictory - Authority · Knowledge based on information from "credible other" · Parents, politicians, professors, celebrities, doctors · Pros o Experts can be authorities (background and experience) o Minimizes need to acquire our own knowledge . Cons o Not all authorities are experts o How do we define "authority", what experience or specifications are needed? - Testimonials/Personal experience " Hearing experiences of others or yourself for use of knowledge Pros o May be representative of collection of all possible experiences o Sticky > more likely to understand and retain if an experience happened to you o Qualitative research > surveys, questions, interviews, etc. . Cons o May not be representative of collection of all experiences Cannot account for alternative explanations > could have various factors and causes we are unaware of - Logic · Knowledge derived from rules of logical thinking Pros o Leads to internally consistent reasoning and decisions o Realistic and practical
o Easy to analyses and critique Cons o Requires correct premises/information > relying on idea that information given at the beginning is correct o May have nothing to do with the real world Goals of Psychological Science - Basic Research · Describe behaviour · Predict behaviour · Determine causes of behaviour - Applied research · Understand/explain behaviour · Apply knowledge to solve problems How to Create a Research Question - Questioning common questions - Observations of the world around us - Solving a practical problem (applied research) - Test theories Theories & Hypotheses - Theory Overarching framework that organises and explains phenomena and data Generates hypotheses that test boundaries of the theory - Hypothesis · A tentative statement about a relationship that may or may not be true - Prediction " A specific statement regarding the expected outcome of a study Deduction - Going from the broadest idea to the narrowest theory 1. Theory > human behaviour is a function of one's life experience and exposure to stimuli in one's life 2. Hypothesis > after playing violent video games, one will become more aggressive even long after the game is over 3. Prediction