PSYB01H3 Study Guide - Participant Observation, A Priori And A Posteriori, Psychological Science
Document Summary
Psychology: scientific study of people, the mind, and behaviour, endless questions about how we feel, think, behave, believe and interact. Scientific method: veritable rules of research, procedures and techniques for conducting and evaluating psychological research. Empiricism: school of philosophy where knowledge is gained through experience, observation and experiment. Data: empirical information that can be measured and evaluated statistically. Bias: unfair practices that wrongly discriminate against others. Theory: coherent set of propositions that are used as principles to describe, understand and explain psychological or behavioural phenomenon. Testable hypothesis : framed as statement, a prediction. A priori: exists before experimentation or observation. Post hoc: hypothesis formulated after collection of data, discouraged. Variable: any characteristic that can take on different values or can vary across research participants. If something cannot be measured, it cannot be investigated scientifically. Population: entire collection of people, animals, plants or things (units) from which we can collect info.
