1. Research methods and Critical thinking

2. Why do we study psychology?
Uninformed insights are often erroneous
Hindsight bias
Overconfidence
Science of psychology provides informed conclusions based on carefully examined data

3. Thinking like a scientist
Begins with a scientific attitude
Curiosity
Skepticism
Humility

4. Thinking like a scientist
Requires critical thinking
Applying skepticism to all information, arguments and conclusions
Examination of
Assumptions
Values
Evidence
Conclusions

5. Thinking like a scientist
Productive critical thinking remains open to new ideas and perspectives
Avoids cynicism
Tolerates uncertainty
Looks for the questions that remain to be answered

6. Scientific method Observe behaviors Form a hypothesis Evaluate and
refine theory
Test
hypothesis
Analyze and
report results

7. Scientific method
Theories are formed, based on observations of behavior
Theories can be used to understand and predict behavior
Must be testable!

8. Scientific theories? Shy people are more likely to succeed in school.
Drinking glarfnog will cause intoxication.
Autism is caused by vaccinations.
Neanderthals were primarily bisexual.
Most humans prefer dogs to cats.
Schizophrenia is more common in men than in women.

9. Scientific method Hypothesis is required to test a theory
Testable prediction
Once tested, a theory can be accepted, rejected, or *most often* revised

10. Scientific method
Hypothesis is tested through one of many research methods
Descriptive
Correlation
Experimental

11. Scientific method After testing, the results are analyzed and reported
Analyzed with statistics
Why report findings?

12. Scientific method
After analyzing the results, the original theory is reevaluated and refined
New questions asked
New hypotheses tested

13. Research methods
Descriptive research - describes behavior, does not explain it
Case study
No conclusions!
Survey
Wording effects
Sampling errors
Observation
Naturalistic
Laboratory

14. Research methods
Correlation research - examines the relationship between variables
Positive correlation
Negative correlation
No correlation
Does not determine causation!

15. Research methods
Experimental research - determines causation - how one variable affects another
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Experiments compare randomly assigned groups
Experimental groups
Control groups
Placebos

16. Ethical issues in psychological research
Right to privacy
Informed consent
Use of deception
Right to withdraw
Animal use
Animals are used in studies that cannot be done on humans for ethical or practical reasons
ALL animal research is carefully monitored by federal and institutional animal care committees

17. Critical thinking Psychology versus pseudopsychology
Psychology - based on evidence gathered through scientific research
Pseudopsychology - “Pop psychology” - focused on satisfying wants
Offers simplistic explanations/solutions
Not based on credible scientific evidence
Often associated with advertising or consumer manipulation

18. Critical thinking
Learning to evaluate reports and differentiate between psychology and pseudopsychology is an important skill

19. Guidelines for critical thinking
Define terms
Examine the evidence
Analyze assumptions and biases
Avoid emotional reasoning
Do not oversimplify
Consider other interpretations
Tolerate uncertainty

20. Mobile phones 'more dangerous than smoking'
Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.
The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks. It draws on growing evidence that using handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer.
Earlier this year, the French government warned against the use of mobile phones, especially by children. Germany also advises its people to minimize handset use, and the European Environment Agency has called for exposures to be reduced.
Professor Khurana admits that mobiles can save lives in emergencies, but concludes that "there is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours". He believes this will be "definitively proven" in the next decade.
He fears that "unless the industry and governments take immediate and decisive steps", the incidence of malignant brain tumors and associated death rate will be observed to rise globally within a decade from now, by which time it may be far too late to intervene medically.
"It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking," says Professor Khurana, Exerpt from: Independent.co.uk

21. Practicing critical thinking
Identify the article title, author and source.
What claim about human behavior or health is being made?
What qualifications does the expert have? What claims is he/she making?
What research is provided to support the claims being made?
Is the title of the article supported?
Does this article violate any of the 7 guidelines for critical thinking?
What more would you like to know, based on this article?