PSYC 2360 Chapter 1: Chapter 1.doc

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2360
• Professor: Carol Anne Hendry

Document Summary

Science provides us with a means of addressing questions and providing answers. Many occupations require the use of research findings. A background in research methods will help read scientific journals and reports critically, evaluate methods employed, decide whether the conclusions are reasonable (i. e. can they be accepted or not). Scientific research has become increasingly important in public policy decisions (e. g. legislators). Important in assessing the effectiveness of programs designed to achieve certain goals. Research can help determine if programs are successful (or how successful they are) at attaining their goals. Scientific approach is useful because it forces us not to rely on intuition and authority as ways of knowing. Relying on intuition means accepting unquestioningly what personal judgement or a single story of experience tells us about the world. Numerous cognitive and motivational biases affect our perceptions, so we draw erroneous conclusions about cause and effect.