PSYC-212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Scientific Method, Falsifiability, Dependent And Independent Variables
15 Jun 2018
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Chapter 2 - The Research Process
> authority, intuition, logic, philosophy = avoid pitfalls of thinking
pillars of scientific method: empiricism (systematic observation), parsimony,
falsifiability, authoritative
•Always being with a good research question:
•empirical vs non empirical questions - ‘Is God real?’ (a non empirical question)
•non observable / non measurable
•Direct vs indirect observation - most research involves indirect observation
•gravity
Why search the literature?
•Peer Review:
•crypt-amnesia - forget the source of where information came from - misconception that it could
be our ORIGINAL idea but is not.
Constructing a Hypothesis:
•How we make a good hypothesis?
•Scientific laws (statement based on observations done a number of times) vs scientific theories
(explanation that can be tested repeatedly by observation or experiment)
•theories = not proven - it tells you why something is a certain way
•theory of evolution: Darwin - there was a process called natural selection (based on
environmental pressures)
•hypothesis: only making a simple prediction that will later be tested.
•deals with only a few variables
Strategies for Generating Hypotheses
•Introspection - examination of mental processes or ones emotional processes
•people with autism/Aspergers have a difficult time putting themselves in other peoples’ shoes
•Find the exception to the rule - breakups - always looks at the downfall results of a breakup
