AP Psychology
AP Psychology
Unit 1
Critical Thinking & Research Strategies Part 1
Key Themes and Terms
Hindsight Bias
Overconfidence
Critical Thinking
The Scientific Method
Theory
Hypothesis
Testable Questions
Operational Definition
Psychology as a Science
In these next several classes we will discuss:
science - a method for understanding
limits of common sense
methods of science
description
correlation
experimentation
evaluating data with statistics
sources of error and bias in research
Science vs. Common Sense
Common sense and intuition often tell us about psychology
e.g., suppose a study tells us that ‘separation weakens romantic attraction’
common sense may tell us - “out of sight, out of mind”
or common sense may say the opposite - “absence makes the heart grow fonder”
Common sense can be inconsistent and based on hindsight
Science vs. Common Sense
Science helps build explanations that are consistent and predictive rather than conflicting and postdictive (hindsight)
Science is based on
knowledge of facts
developing theories
testing hypotheses
public and repeatable procedures
Intuition and Common Sense
How we know what might not be so!
Hindsight Bias
tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it
the “I-knew-it-all-along” phenomenon
ACTIVITY - Milgram Study
Overconfidence
we tend to think we know more than we do
Critical Thinking Skills
Critical Thinking: Avoids blind acceptance of arguments and conclusions but instead closely examines evidence (mirrors the key values of scientific method)
never jump to conclusions
examine assumptions
keep an open mind
evaluate evidence
ask how the data were gathered
ask why the data were interpreted a certain way
Scientific Method
Scientific Method: Systematic gathering of data in an objective manner
Theory- framework for explaining events
an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations
Hypothesis- testable prediction
Essential components of science
accuracy- careful, precise
objectivity- unbiased
skepticism- testable, data can be replicated
open-mindedness- ability to change views
Asking Testable Questions
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior, but not all questions about the mind or behavior can be answered in psychology.
Psychology, for the most part, has adopted the scientific method which means that it only studies questions that can be tested in a precise, objective, publicly verifiable fashion.
The first step in doing psychology scientifically is learning how to ask testable questions.
Operationally Define the Variables
Operational Definition
a statement of the procedures (operations) used to define research variables
for example, intelligence may be operationally defined as what an intelligence test measures
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