PSY 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Tanning Bed, Statistical Inference, Canadian Institutes Of Health Research

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 105
• Professor: Kristin Vickers

Document Summary

List two core beliefs of science, and describe the steps in the scientific method. The scientific method uses logical reasoning derived from philosophy: sir francis bacon emphasized avoiding biases. Biases personal beliefs or conventional wisdom that a particular thinker mistakenly accepts as broad, basic truths. To avoid biases science and philosophy should use controlled direct observations to generate board conclusions. Search for natural laws by making empirical observations of mental processes and behaviours; which then are developed into theories. Empirical able to be tested in objective ways. Theories ideas about law that govern phenomena: karl popper stressed that a good theory must be able to be proven false: it must be falsiable. Hypothesis a general statement about the way variables relate that is objectively falsifiable. When proven false, scientist will then have to generate a new hypotheses for further testing; repetition of this process will make theories more accurate about human thoughts and behaviours.