PSYC 1010 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Heredity
20 May 2018
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PSYC 1010 Chapter 8 Notes
Introduction
Parenthood and Happiness
• Thus, the orrelatio etee parethood ad happiess eed’t ea that paretig
increases happiness.
• Another example: Self-esteem correlates negatively with (and therefore predicts)
depression.
• The loer people’s self-esteem, the more they are at risk for depression.
• So, does low self-esteem cause depression?
• If, based on the correlational evidence, you assume that it does, you have much
company.
• A nearly irresistible thinking error is assuming that an association, sometimes presented
as a correlation coefficient, proves causation.
• But no matter how strong the relationship, it does not.
• We’d get the same negative correlation between self-esteem and depression if
depression caused people to be down on them, or if some third factor
• Such as heredity or brain chemistry—caused both low self-esteem and depression.
• This point is so important—so basic to thinking smarter with psychology—that it merits
one more example.
• A survey of over 12,000 adolescents found that the more teens feel loved by their
parents, the less likely they are to behave in unhealthy ways
• Having early sex, smoking, abusing alcohol and drugs, exhibiting violence (Resnick et al.,
1997)
• Adults hae a poerful effet o their hildre’s ehaior right through the high shool
years, gushed an Associated Press (AP) story reporting the finding.
• But again, correlations come with no built-in cause-effect arrow.
• The AP could as well have reported, Well-ehaed tees feel their parets’ loe ad
approval
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