PSYC 1010 amazonaws com
PSYC 1010 {Module 2} Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Sept 12th, 2012 How can we best use psychology to understand why people think, feel, and act as they do?
The Need for Psychological Science
How do hindsight bias, overconfidence, and the tendency to perceive order in random events illustrate why science-based answers are more valid than those based on intuition and common sense? o Three phenomena, illustrating why we cannot rely solely on intuition and common sense
The limits of intuition
Personnel interviews tend to be overconfident of their gut feelings about job applicants. Their confidence stems partly from their recalling cases where their favorable impression proved right, and partly from their ignorance about rejected applicants who succeeded elsewhere. “Those who trust their own wits are fools”
Hindsight bias: tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) Such errors in our recollections and explanations show why we need psychological research. Overconfidence
We tend to think we know more than we do
Perceiving order in random events
Rage for order Sequences that are random often don’t appear random o “When you’re hot, you’re hot”
Scientific inquiry can help us sift reality from illusion. The scientific attitude: curious, skeptical, and humble As scientists, psychologists approach the world of behavior with a curious skepticism, persistently asking two questions: What do you mean? How do you know? Critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions The scientific attitude prepares us to think smarter; smart thinking, called critical thinking.
PSYC 1010 {Module 2} Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Sept 12th, 2012
Critical thinkers consider the credibility of sources, looking at evidence, recognizing multiple perspectives, exposing themselves to news sources that challenge their preconceived ideas
How does the scientific attitude contribute to critical thinking? Answer: the scientific attitude combines 1) curiosity of the world around us, 2) skepticism toward various claims and ideas, and 3) humility about one’s own understanding. Evaluation evidence, assessing conclusions, and examining our own assumptions are essential parts of critical thinking FAQs about psychology 1) Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life? The experimenter intends the laboratory environment to be a simplified reality; one that simulates and controls important features of everyday life An experiment’s purpose is to test theoretical principles o It is the resulting principles, not the specific findings, that help explain everyday behaviors o Many investigations show that principles derived in the laboratory do typically generalize to the everyday world Psychological science focuses less on particular behaviors than on seeking general principles that help explain many behaviors 2) Does behavior depend on one’s culture and gender? WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) culture Culture: the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Culture shapes behavior Shared biological heritage unites us as a universal human family Knowing gender differences can help everyday interactions Even when specific attitudes and behaviors vary by gender or across cultures, the underlying processes are much the same 3) Why do psychologists study animals, and what ethical guidelines safeguard human and animal research participants? They want to understand how different species learn, think, and behave Psychologists study animals to learn about people, humans ARE animals Is it right to place the well-being of humans above animals If we give human life first priority who protects the animals? American Psychological Association’s ethics code protects humans
PSYC 1010 {Module 2} Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Sept 12th, 2012 Informed consent: ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate Debriefing: post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants 4)
Is psychology free of value judgments? In psychology and in every day speech, labels describe and evaluate Labeling someone as firm or stubborn, discreet or secretive reveals our own attitudes A science of behavior and mental processes can help us reach our goals but it cannot decide what those goals should be
How are human and animal research participants protected? Answer: Animal protection legislation, laboratory regulation and inspection, and local ethics committees serve to protect human and animal welfare. University ethics committees screen research proposals. Ethical principles developed by the American Psychological Association and other organizations urge researchers using human participants to obtain informed consent, to protect them from harm and discomfort, to treat their personal information confidentially, and to fully debrief all participants.
Learning Objectives 1) How do hindsight bias, overconfidence, and the tendency to perceive order in random events illustrate why science-based answers are more valid than those based on intuition and common sense 2) How do the scientific attitude’s three main components relate to critical thinking 3) Cal laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life 4) Does behavior depend on one’s culture and gender 5) Why do psychologists study animals and what ethical guidelines safeguard human and animal research participants 6) Is psychology free of value judgments
The Need for Psychological Science
How do hindsight bias, overconfidence, and the tendency to perceive order in random events illustrate why science-based answers are more valid than those based on intuition and common sense? o Three phenomena, illustrating why we cannot rely solely on intuition and common sense
The limits of intuition
Personnel interviews tend to be overconfident of their gut feelings about job applicants. Their confidence stems partly from their recalling cases where their favorable impression proved right, and partly from their ignorance about rejected applicants who succeeded elsewhere. “Those who trust their own wits are fools”
Hindsight bias: tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) Such errors in our recollections and explanations show why we need psychological research. Overconfidence
We tend to think we know more than we do
Perceiving order in random events
Rage for order Sequences that are random often don’t appear random o “When you’re hot, you’re hot”
Scientific inquiry can help us sift reality from illusion. The scientific attitude: curious, skeptical, and humble As scientists, psychologists approach the world of behavior with a curious skepticism, persistently asking two questions: What do you mean? How do you know? Critical thinking: thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions The scientific attitude prepares us to think smarter; smart thinking, called critical thinking.
PSYC 1010 {Module 2} Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Sept 12th, 2012
Critical thinkers consider the credibility of sources, looking at evidence, recognizing multiple perspectives, exposing themselves to news sources that challenge their preconceived ideas
How does the scientific attitude contribute to critical thinking? Answer: the scientific attitude combines 1) curiosity of the world around us, 2) skepticism toward various claims and ideas, and 3) humility about one’s own understanding. Evaluation evidence, assessing conclusions, and examining our own assumptions are essential parts of critical thinking FAQs about psychology 1) Can laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life? The experimenter intends the laboratory environment to be a simplified reality; one that simulates and controls important features of everyday life An experiment’s purpose is to test theoretical principles o It is the resulting principles, not the specific findings, that help explain everyday behaviors o Many investigations show that principles derived in the laboratory do typically generalize to the everyday world Psychological science focuses less on particular behaviors than on seeking general principles that help explain many behaviors 2) Does behavior depend on one’s culture and gender? WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) culture Culture: the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Culture shapes behavior Shared biological heritage unites us as a universal human family Knowing gender differences can help everyday interactions Even when specific attitudes and behaviors vary by gender or across cultures, the underlying processes are much the same 3) Why do psychologists study animals, and what ethical guidelines safeguard human and animal research participants? They want to understand how different species learn, think, and behave Psychologists study animals to learn about people, humans ARE animals Is it right to place the well-being of humans above animals If we give human life first priority who protects the animals? American Psychological Association’s ethics code protects humans
PSYC 1010 {Module 2} Thinking Critically with Psychological Science Sept 12th, 2012 Informed consent: ethical principle that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate Debriefing: post-experimental explanation of a study, including its purpose and any deceptions, to its participants 4)
Is psychology free of value judgments? In psychology and in every day speech, labels describe and evaluate Labeling someone as firm or stubborn, discreet or secretive reveals our own attitudes A science of behavior and mental processes can help us reach our goals but it cannot decide what those goals should be
How are human and animal research participants protected? Answer: Animal protection legislation, laboratory regulation and inspection, and local ethics committees serve to protect human and animal welfare. University ethics committees screen research proposals. Ethical principles developed by the American Psychological Association and other organizations urge researchers using human participants to obtain informed consent, to protect them from harm and discomfort, to treat their personal information confidentially, and to fully debrief all participants.
Learning Objectives 1) How do hindsight bias, overconfidence, and the tendency to perceive order in random events illustrate why science-based answers are more valid than those based on intuition and common sense 2) How do the scientific attitude’s three main components relate to critical thinking 3) Cal laboratory experiments illuminate everyday life 4) Does behavior depend on one’s culture and gender 5) Why do psychologists study animals and what ethical guidelines safeguard human and animal research participants 6) Is psychology free of value judgments
