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  • Experimental Psychology (Commonsense Psychology and Modern Science)

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    This document discusses the differences between psychology as a science versus commonsense beliefs. Psychology uses the scientific method and empirical research to understand human behavior, relying on evidence from controlled experiments. In contrast, commonsense beliefs come from limited everyday experiences and can be unreliable, as they are subject to biases. The document advocates for psychology's scientific approach of gathering data systematically, seeking general principles, and being willing to self-correct conclusions as new evidence emerges.

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    Experimental Psychology [Commonsense Psychology and Modern Science]

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    This document discusses the differences between psychology as a science versus commonsense beliefs. Psychology uses the scientific method and empirical research to understand human behavior, relying on evidence from controlled experiments. In contrast, commonsense beliefs come from limited everyday experiences and can be unreliable, as they are subject to biases. The document advocates for psychology's scientific approach of gathering data systematically, seeking general principles, and being willing to self-correct conclusions as new evidence emerges.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    11 views3 pages

    Experimental Psychology (Commonsense Psychology and Modern Science)

    Uploaded by

    piesces
    This document discusses the differences between psychology as a science versus commonsense beliefs. Psychology uses the scientific method and empirical research to understand human behavior, relying on evidence from controlled experiments. In contrast, commonsense beliefs come from limited everyday experiences and can be unreliable, as they are subject to biases. The document advocates for psychology's scientific approach of gathering data systematically, seeking general principles, and being willing to self-correct conclusions as new evidence emerges.

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    of 3

    PSYCHOLOGY research, collect data,

    publish results.
    ● Science of behavior
    ● Scientific approach to understand Commonsense
    human behavior
    ● Knowledge about psychological
    Psychology
    processes is based on scientific
    evidence accumulated through ● Non-scientific data gathering
    research shaping our expectations &
    ● Scientific method beliefs, directing our behavior
    - Specify conditions under toward others.
    w/c we make our ● Works well enough most of the
    observations (Antecedent) time but still can leave us up in
    - Observe in a systematic / the air.
    orderly way (Not
    subjective) COMMONSENSE BELIEFS
    - Accept / reject alternative
    explanations of behaviors ● Derived from data collected from
    on the basis of what we own experience & learned from
    observe others
    ● Data collected everyday have
    EXPERIMENTAL been generated from a small
    PSYCHOLOGY sample of behaviors & the
    conclusions drawn = inherent
    tendencies, biases, limit accuracy
    ● Use of empirical research
    & usefulness.
    methods to explore & understand
    ● Can be unreliable + explanations
    behavior
    and predictions are likely to be
    - Often through hypothesis
    imperfect.
    then set out to prove /
    disprove through
    experimentation
    CONFIRMATION BIAS
    - Aims to understand w/c
    factors influence human ● Non-scientific data may come
    behavior, experience, and from seemingly credible sources
    thought processes using (friends, relatives, idols, media)
    scientific tools &
    techniques to perform
    ● Psychological info is typically Modern Science
    accepted w/o question (rarely
    tested) Characteristics
    ● Once we believe we know
    something, we tend to overlook SCIENTIFIC MENTALITY
    instances that might disconfirm
    our beliefs = we seek ● Goal of prediction: “Behavior
    confirmatory instances of must follow a natural order,
    behavior. therefore, it can be predicted.”
    ● Alfred North Whitehead:
    POWER OF NEGATIVE “scientific mentality”; faith in an
    THINKING organized universe is essential to
    Science.
    ● Friday the 13th = unlucky ● Determinism: belief that there are
    - Considered unlucky according to specifiable (though not obvious)
    researchers = higher accident rate causes for the way people behave.
    for that date caused by increased
    trepidation / fear ABOUT the GATHERING EMPIRICAL DATA
    date.
    - Anxiety causes reduced attention ● Aristotle assumed order exists in
    to driving = more accidents occur. the universe, and he described that
    order in a systematic way by
    NONSCIENTIFIC collecting empirical data
    (observable / experienced).
    INTERFERENCE
    ● Advocated systematic observation
    & careful classification of
    ● Stereotyping naturally occurring events
    ● Problems in prediction occur = ● Empirical data = can be verified
    people are not very good at using & disproved via investigation
    data to estimate true probabilities.
    ● Gambler’s fallacy: continuing to SEEKING GENERAL PRINCIPLES
    gamble after several losses
    because people tend to believe ● Laws: Established & proven.
    that soon, they can finally win. Principles have the generality to
    apply to all situations.
    ● Theories: Devised explanation.
    Unify diverse sets of scientific
    facts = can be used to predict new more confidence we have
    examples of behavior. that theory is correct.
    ● Important feature in psychological - Not asking favors from
    science parents because they are in
    - Testing predictions a bad mood.
    stemming from a theory
    (hypothesis). PUBLICIZING RESULTS

    GOOD THINKING ● Attending professional


    conferences to exchange info
    ● Principle of Parsimony: Occam’s about current work.
    Razor ● Continuous exchange of info is
    ● William of Occam vital to the scientific process.
    cautioned to stick to a basic
    premise: Entities should REPLICATION
    not be multiplied without
    necessity. ● Able to repeat procedures & get
    the same results again if we
    ● Simplicity, precision, clarity of gathered data objectively, and
    thought followed good thinking.
    ● Findings obtainable by only one
    ● Avoid making unnecessary researcher have very limited
    assumptions to support an scientific value (dreams that
    argument / explanation. predict future).

    SELF-CORRECTION

    ● Accept uncertainty of own


    conclusions
    ● Content of Science changes as we
    acquire new scientific info, and
    old ones reevaluated in light of
    new facts
    ● “Weight-of-evidence” approach
    - The more evidence that
    accumulates to support a
    particular explanation, the

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