PSY 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Null Hypothesis, Sleep Deprivation, Explained Variation

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Kenneth Campbell

Document Summary

Philosophers have identified at least three methods by which we can gain knowledge ( truth ). We gain knowledge through communication with a higher, nonphysical being. Presumably this higher being knows much more than mortal humans. We then must have belief or faith in this divine truth. If we are logical enough in our reasoning, we should be able to deduce all knowledge. This is the only method of gaining knowledge that we shall study in this course. A biologist might want to know if water affects plant growth. The biologist then manipulates a variable, the amount of water that is given to a specific plant. The biologist varies (thus the word variable ) the amount of water given to the plant. He/she gives the plant more or less water. He/she then observes the effect of this variable (the amount of water that is given) on plant growth.