PSYC217 Chapter 1 - Principles of Science Why Study Research Methods? - Understanding research methods can help you become an informed consumer of news, health care, products, and services. - Scientific research is frequently reported by news organizations, popular magazines, bloggers, and advertisers. · Headlines for these stories may make bold claims and ask provocative questions · How do you evaluate such reports? A background in research methods will help you to read these reports critically, evaluate the methods, and decide whether the conclusions and assertions being made are appropriate and justifiable - Understanding research methods can give you a competitive edge for various careers. " Many occupations require the ability to interpret, appropriately apply, and conduct solid research > e.g., mental health professionals must make decisions about treatment methods, medications, and testing procedures; this requires the ability to read the relevant research literature and apply it effectively. · Knowledge of research methods and the ability to evaluate research reports are essential for these and other careers. Methods of Acquiring Knowledge - People have always observed the world & sought explanations for what they see and experience. - Humans often rely solely on intuition and authority, but these can lead to biased conclusions. - Science offers a way to avoid some biases by systematically seeking high-quality evidence. Intuition - Intuition: relying upon anecdote, experience, or judgment to make sense of the world, without adopting a critical or questioning mindset. - When you rely on intuition, you accept unquestioningly what your personal judgment or a single story about one person's experience tells you about the world. - The intuitive approach takes many forms. Often involves finding an explanation for our own or others' behaviours. o E.g., might develop an explanation for continuous conflict with a fellow student, such as "that other person is jealous of my intelligence." · Other times, intuition is used to explain intriguing events that you simply observe in the world, as in the case of love arriving when you stop looking for it. - One problem with intuition is that many cognitive and motivational biases affect our perceptions > we easily arrive at mistaken conclusions " Why do we believe no longer looking for love leads to finding it? - > because of a cognitive bias called illusory correlation. Illusory correlation > when two events occur closely in time it draws our attention, and we often conclude that one must cause the other. · E.g., when a decision to stop looking for love is followed closely by finding a long-term mate, our attention is drawn to the situation, and we see them as being causally related. o This is true even when it might just be a coincidence.
o When a decision to stop looking is not closely followed by finding a long-term mate, we don't notice this non-event. o We are biased to conclude that there must be a causal connection between these things, when in fact no such relationship exists. · Illusory correlations are also