PSYC 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Participant Observation, Operational Definition, Sigmund Freud
Document Summary
Chapter 1: psychology and scientific thinking (pages 1-19) Psychology: scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. Psychology involves: multiple levels of analysis, multiple determinants for observable phenomena, accounting for individual variation, multiple methods for studying phenomenon. Scientific theory- an explanation for a large number of findings in the natural world. Based on observations; ex: gravity, tectonic plates, genetics. Allow us to make predictions about that which we have not yet observed. ex: how quickly an item will fall to the ground, locations of future earthquakes, likelihood of inheriting a genetic disorder. Hypothesis- a predication based on a scientific theory. Confirmation bias- the tendency for people to seek out evidence that supports their hypothesis and deny, dismiss, or distort evidence that contradicts them. Meta-physical claims- cannot be tested with the scientific method. Pseudoscience- a set of claims that seem scientific, but are not; rampant in pop psychology ex: cosmo magazine.
