PSY 450 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Confirmation Bias, Scientific Method, Social Cognition
Document Summary
Chapter 1: introduction, acquiring knowledge, and the scientific method. Methods of knowing and acquiring knowledge e. g. , birds of a feather flock together . Good starting point, often quickest and easiest way to obtain answers. All 3-yr-old children are afraid of the dark. Acquiring knowledge via direct observation or sensory experience. Based on the philosophy that all knowledge is acquired through the senses. Authority e. g. , birds of a feather flock together, but opposites attract e. g. eggs are good for you! eggs are bad for you! . The rational method assumes the premise statements are true. People are not always good at logic reasoning. Sometimes the argument does not logically support the conclusion. If the bird is a crow, then it will be black. Not everything can be directly observed e. g. , confirmation bias, availability heuristics, etc. Involves formulation specific questions and then systematically finding answers. If we cant devise a way to measure something, then we can"t use science.
