PSYC 314 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Structural Equation Modeling, Discriminant Function Analysis, Institutional Review Board
Document Summary
Psychology- science and art: science of psychology provides theory, art of psychology involves applying that theory to help others. Critical thinkers: ask questions, objectively define problems, examine the available evidence, assess assumptions and biases, avoid emotional reasoning, separate facts from opinion, avoid oversimplifying, consider alternative explanations, tolerate uncertainty. Skepticism: healthy reluctance to accept new info without sufficient evidence. To describe the subject matter: anorexia in rats. To explain trends that have been observed: levels of beta endorphins. To predict based on explanation: excessive exercise, ballet dancers vs models. Scientific approach to discovering truth: assumes several fundamental principles on how world works, demands meeting certain criteria, determinism, belief that events have natural causes, not random, laws even if we do not know them, not pre-determinism. Empiricism: reliance on real evidence to confirm or refute claims. Falsifiability: hypothesis and theories must be refutable through empirical research, freud"s repression and childhood trauma, psychics.
