Need for Psychological Science: An Outline
Ch. 1: Thinking Critically With Psychological Science Outline The Need for Psychological Science
Two phenomena- hindsight bias and judgmental overconfidence- illustrate why we can’t rely solely on intuition and common sense. The Limits of Intuition and Common Sense Our intuition can lead us astray. Did We Know It All Along? Hindsight Bias Hindsight bias- The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) Common sense describes what has happened more easily than it predicts what will happen. Our intuition may tell us that familiarity breeds contempt, that dreams predict the future, and that emotional reaction coincide with menstrual phase. Overconfidence We tend to think we know more than we do. Hindsight bias and overconfidence often lead us to overestimate our intuition. The Scientific Attitude Curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled. Sometimes scientific inquiry refutes skeptics. Putting a scientific attitude into practice requires not only skepticism but also humility, because we may have to reject our own ideas. Attitudes of curiosity, skepticism, and humility helped make modern science possible. 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 Method Scientific Method: make observations, form theories, and then refine their theories in the light of new observations. Theory- Explains through an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts behaviors or events. * By organizing facts, a theory simplifies things. * Offers a useful summary. Hypotheses- A testable prediction, often implied by a theory. * Predictions can give direction to research. * Specify what results would
Two phenomena- hindsight bias and judgmental overconfidence- illustrate why we can’t rely solely on intuition and common sense. The Limits of Intuition and Common Sense Our intuition can lead us astray. Did We Know It All Along? Hindsight Bias Hindsight bias- The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it. (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon) Common sense describes what has happened more easily than it predicts what will happen. Our intuition may tell us that familiarity breeds contempt, that dreams predict the future, and that emotional reaction coincide with menstrual phase. Overconfidence We tend to think we know more than we do. Hindsight bias and overconfidence often lead us to overestimate our intuition. The Scientific Attitude Curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled. Sometimes scientific inquiry refutes skeptics. Putting a scientific attitude into practice requires not only skepticism but also humility, because we may have to reject our own ideas. Attitudes of curiosity, skepticism, and humility helped make modern science possible. 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 Method Scientific Method: make observations, form theories, and then refine their theories in the light of new observations. Theory- Explains through an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts behaviors or events. * By organizing facts, a theory simplifies things. * Offers a useful summary. Hypotheses- A testable prediction, often implied by a theory. * Predictions can give direction to research. * Specify what results would