Psychology 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Scientific Method, Psych, Institute For Operations Research And The Management Sciences

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Used by physicists and chemists to make great progress in determining laws of the physical sciences; was not adopted quickly by psychologists b/c the subject matter isn"t as tangible as physical sciences (measuring distance vs. intelligence) Scientific inquiry is driven by curiosity, skepticism, and open-mindedness; best scientists= incurable skeptic who needs evidence to support each claim but is also open-minded. Diffusion of responsibility- psychological state where each person feels decreased personal responsibility for intervening. Curiosity based; scientists observe things that pique their interest. Scientists determine if there are studies, theories, and other info that may help answer if. Tentative explanations-->hypothesis: a specific prediction about some phenomenon their question already exists that often takes the form of an if-then statement. Analyze data, draw tentative conclusions, and report findings. Publishing research is fundamental for scientific progress as it enables scientists to learn about new ideas and findings , evaluate the research and challenge/expand on it.