PSY100Y5 Chapter Notes -Empirical Research, Scientific Method, Pseudoscience
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PSY100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Psychology the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Uses systematic methods to observe human and other animal behavior and draw conclusions. Psychologists are also interested in controlling or changing behavior; using scientific methods to examine this e. g. techniques to reduce violence. Through observations we can come to describe behavior by counting how many times it occurs in particular circumstances. !science isn"t what you you study; rather science is how you study something. Behavior everything we do that can be directly observed. Mental processes thoughts feelings and motives that each of us experience privately and cannot be observed directly. Psychologists test assumptions and rely on objective evidence to solve these puzzles. They conduct research and rely on the research to provide basis for their conclusions. Critical thinking the process of reflecting deeply and actively, asking questions and evaluating the evidence. Critical thinking reduces the likelihood that conclusions will be based on unreliable personal beliefs, opinions, biases and emotions.
