1. Ch 1 Thinking Critically
Pseudopsychology
Phony, unscientific psychology masking as the real thing ex. Common sense (which is usually wrong)
Polygraph test (lie detector), demonic possession as a cause of mental illness
Hindsight bias (I-knew-it-all-along phenomenon)
The tendency to believe (after an outcome) that you could have foreseen the results in advance
Overconfidence
The tendency to over estimate your intuition
Ex. The belief that the Earth was flat
Confirmation bias
The tendency to believe evidence that CONFIRMS our beliefs or expectations while ignoring evidence that does not. Ex. Zodiac signs, and horoscopes

3. Contemporary Psychological Perspectives

4. Scientific Method Develop a hypothesis Perform a controlled test
Gather data
Analyze the results
Publish, critique and replicate the results

5. Research Design Non Experimental Methods Case study Survey
Naturalistic observation
Longitudinal study
Cross sectional study
Cohort sequential study
Correlation study

6. Research Design (Pseudo Experiments)
Case Study
Where a researcher studies one individual in depth in an effort to reveal things that are true about us all
Survey
A technique designed to gather info from a large group
Naturalistic Observation
Involves a researcher observing and recording behavior in a subjects natural environment

7. Research Design (Pseudo Experiments)
Longitudinal study
One group of subjects are followed and observed for an extended period of time (ex. 20 years)
Cross sectional
Involves taking a segment of the population at one specific time
Cohort sequential
A cross section of the population is chosen and each cohort (age group) is followed for a short period of time

8. Research Design Correlation Studies
Where an experimenter will seek to establish whether there is a relationship between two or more variables (ex. Smoking and cancer, old age and baldness)
A CORRELATION DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN CAUSATION!!
The degree of correlation is expressed through the correlation coefficient
Correlations range from 1.0 to A 0 correlation coefficient means there is no relationship between the variables
A strong positive correlation indicates that as one variable INCREASES so does the other
A strong negative correlation indicates that as one variable INCREASES the other variable DECREASES

9. Scatterplots
Each dot represents two variables

10. Research Design
Which type of correlation is this negative, positive or none?
The correlation between temperament and height is positive!

11. Research Design Illusionary correlations
Where we believe there is a correlation between two variables and we recall instances that confirm our beliefs but the relationship does NOT exist
Ex. Joint pain and in climate weather
sugar consumption and hyperactivity
being cold and wet causes one to catch a cold etc.
All false! Illusionary correlations!

12. Animal Research Psychologists study animals to learn about people
Comparative Psychology and Ethology- studying animal behavior and how it relates to humans
Most scientists study and experiment on animals to develop treatments for diseases
Diabetes
Polio
Rabies
The degree of compassion for animals varies according to perceived kinship of the animal to humans
Primates and companion animals receive top priority in most peoples’ minds
Other mammals ex. Lions, tigers, bears, platypus
Fish and reptiles
Insects