PSYCH101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3: Falsifiability, Confounding, Informed Consent

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Richard Ennis

Document Summary

Psychology - the scientific study of behaviour, thought, and experience, and how they can be affected by physical, mental, social, and environmental factors. Scientific method - way of learning about the world through collecting observations, developing theories to explain them, and using the theories to make predictions. Hypothesis - a testable prediction about processes that can be observed and measured. Pseudoscience - an idea that is presented as science but does not actually utilize basic principles of scientific thinking or procedure. Theory - an explanation for a broad range of observations that also generates new hypotheses and integrates numerous findings into a coherent whole. Number of people who believe it does not = plausibility. Biopsychosocial model - means of explaining behaviour as a product of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Scientific literacy - the ability to understand, analyze, and apply scientific information.