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Thinking Critically, What is Science?

This article explores what science is and how it is applied in the field of psychology. It discusses the limitations of conventional wisdom and common sense, the role of religion and legal methods in seeking truth, and the characteristics of scientific thinking. Key terms such as hypothesis, theory, deduction, and induction are explained, and different research methods like correlational research, observational research, and experimentation are discussed. The article also emphasizes the importance of ethics in conducting scientific research.

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Thinking Critically, What is Science?

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  1. Thinking Critically, What is Science? Psychology 1106

  2. Introduction • What is science? • Guys in lab coats? • Test tubes? • Hmmmmmmm • Well, more than anything, science is a method of inquiry • There are many ways to ‘seek the truth’

  3. Conventional Wisdom or Common Sense • If most people say or think something is true it is • Basically what gets us through everyday life • Old sayings • There are many contradictory ones • I don’t need any of your fancy science to understand human behaviour science boy. • Umm, that’s Dr. Science Boy…

  4. Conventional Wisdom • ‘Intuitive physics’ • Male-female differences in cognition • ‘Crime is increasing’ • ‘The world is flat’ • So, conventional wisdom or common sense, except for things like ‘I should wear pants’ is pretty much useless

  5. Religion • Belief based on faith • Seems to be designed for dealing with the metaphysical • Why are we here • What does it all mean • One does not usually believe in God because of some bit of evidence or rigorous experimentation • It is called faith for a reason

  6. Legal Method • Getting at the truth based on the presentation of evidence • Not all evidence is admissible • Fairness is the key • System is weighted • Sometimes your defense is as good as your lawyer

  7. Legal method • Laws are based on what society sees as fair • At one time the law said it was ok to smoke in public buildings • We decided that it no longer was • Try doing that with oh, Newton’s second law…

  8. Scientific Method • Takes a bit from each method • Used for a certain set of problems • For specific reasons too • Started really in the late 1600s or so, Newton, Bacon and others

  9. Characteristics of Scientific thinking • Empiricism • Direct observation and experimentation • Objectivity • Rely on measurement • Carefully controlled measurement • No bias • Take results at face value

  10. Characteristics continued • Testability • Popper’s falsifiability principle Predictions drawn from a theory must be specific enough to allow the theory to be shown to be incorrect

  11. Even more characteristics • Feasibility • Science deals with questions that are answerable using experimentation • Skepticism • Don’t believe it until you see it • Just because something seems right does not make it so • People who do not know what they are talking about see this as weakness of science • It is a strength, peer review is skepticism in practice

  12. Key terms • Hypothesis • Statement about the relationship of variables • Independent variable • What you manipulate • Experimenter controlled • Dependent variable • Measured • Note, there can be more than one IV and more than one DV • Operational Definition • Defining a construct solely based on the operations used to measure it

  13. Key Terms - Theory • We tend to say ‘just a theory’ like it’s a hunch • It is different in science • A set of statements that explain a variety of occurrences • A good theory makes predictions, organizes data and is testable • Theories change when new data show up to challenge them • You CANNOT prove a theory, you can only disprove it

  14. More terms, more excitement!!!! • Deduction • Going from theory to data • Induction • Going from data to theory • Tend to be more limited • Deduced ones are broader • Still the good ones are precise

  15. Testing theories • We test theories with many methods • Correlational research • Measure two variables, see if they are related • Examples • More smokes, more cncer • More IQ more money • Which way do they go? • Impossible to tell

  16. CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION

  17. Observational Research • Not just watching stuff happen • Careful measurements • Still use operational definitions • Examples • Rosenhan (1975) ‘On being sane in insane places • Turnbull (1987) ‘ The Forest People’

  18. Experimentation • Have independent and dependent variables • Manipulate IV, measure DV • Control groups • Double blind procedures

  19. Making Causal Inferences • To say that X causes Y we need three things: • Temporal precedence • Covariation • Elimination of alternative explanations • When we have an alternative explanation we call it a confound • These can be avoided with careful design

  20. Ethics • Research must be ethical • Informed consent • No coercion • No deception unless necessary • Debriefing • There is a well established set of rules

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