PSY 301 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Tuskegee University, Syphilis, Psychology
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSY 301
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Class 1: September 25
What is scientific
research?
● Use the empirical method
○ Use evidence from systematic observation as the basis for
conclusions
● Questions
○ Should you believe claim based on what you read?
○ Where can we go to learn more?
○ How relatable are studies to our lives?
Teenagers Will Eat
Healthily If They
Think They’re
Sticking It to the
Man
1. What are your impressions of the study the researchers
conducted?
○ I think that the study had a good population size, but that
the age of the children should have been more varied.
Kids 13 to 15 aren’t exactly all teenagers.
○ Looking into the long term effects and not just the short
term results would be helpful
2. What theory do you think the study was testing?
○ I think the study was testing how shifts in perspective can
change the way young adults think about their choices
○ Theory: When retaught to think that eating healthy is
rebellious, young adults will be more willing to choose
healthy options
3. Do you have any questions about the journalist’s coverage of this
research? What additional information would you like to know?
○ I would want to know how the researcher presented the
data to the students and what facts they were presented
with.
○ I would want a control group of teenagers that didn’t
receive any articles on healthy eating or food
Characteristics of
Scientific Thinking
● Skepticism
○ Scientists do not accept ideas on faith or authority, treat
conflucions both old and new with caution
● Precision
○ Scientists use theories to guide their hypotheses, state
their hypotheses precisely using operational definitions
● Willingness to Make Risky Predictions
○ Scientists generate hypotheses that can be disproved or
falsified
● Empirical Evidence
○ Scientists rely on empirical evidence to support a
hypothesis
● Openness
○ Scientists fully disclose their procedures and results to
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
allow replication
○ Peer review gives science a built-in system of checks and
balances
○ Scientific publication opens the door for journalists to
share research findings with the general public
Theory Data Cycle
Example:
● Harlow’s Contact-Comfort Theory
○ Baby monkeys prefer comforting mothers rather than
those that provide food
● Reducing Racial Biases
○ White college students being roomed with black students
were found to have less racial biases
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Use evidence from systematic observation as the basis for conclusions. I think that the study had a good population size, but that the age of the children should have been more varied. Kids 13 to 15 aren"t exactly all teenagers. I think the study was testing how shifts in perspective can change the way young adults think about their choices. I would want to know how the researcher presented the data to the students and what facts they were presented with. I would want a control group of teenagers that didn"t receive any articles on healthy eating or food. Scientists do not accept ideas on faith or authority, treat conflucions both old and new with caution. Scientists use theories to guide their hypotheses, state their hypotheses precisely using operational definitions. Scientists generate hypotheses that can be disproved or falsified. Scientists rely on empirical evidence to support a hypothesis. Scientists fully disclose their procedures and results to allow replication.
