Psychology 2800E Study Guide - Final Guide: Psychology Today, Falsifiability, Statistical Hypothesis Testing
13 Jun 2016
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Chapter 1: psychology is a way of thinking. Thinking like a psychologists means thinking like a scientist and thinking like scientists involves thinking about empirical data. Some students need skills as producers of research, they develop research methods skills to work in research laboratories and discover new knowledge. Some students need skills as consumers of research, they need to be able to find and evaluate the research behind important polocies, thereapies and workplace decisions. Having good consumers of research skills means being able to evaluate the evidence behind the claims of a salesperson, journalist, or researcher and making better more informed decisions by asking the right questions. As scientists, psychologists are empiricists; they base their conclusion on systematic, unbiased observations of the world. Using the theory-data cycle, researchers propose theories, make hypotheses (predictions) and collect data. A good scientific theory is supported by data, is falsifiable and is parmonious.
