PSYCH 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Central Tendency, Descriptive Statistics, Psychological Testing
Document Summary
Questions explored by psychologists may not have occurred to most people. Psychologists are committed to addressing questions about behavior through formal, systematic observation; the commitment to the empirical method is what makes psychology a scientific endeavor. Becoming familiar with the logic of the empirical approach will improve your ability to think critically about claims concerning behavior. Looking for laws: the scientific approach to behavior. The scientific approach assumes that events are governed by some lawful order. Measurement / description - discover a way to measure the phenomenon under study clearly and precisely. Understanding / prediction - to create hypotheses based on applicable variables. Application / control - hope that information found will have daily applicability value. Theory - a system of interrelated ideas used to explain a set of observations. Steps in a scientific investigation: formulate a testable hypothesis, select a research method and design the study, collect the data, analyze the data and draw conclusions, report the findings.
