PSYA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Psychological Science, Scientific Method
Document Summary
Pop psychology the scores of self-help gurus on tv, on the radio, and in the books lining bookstore shelves. Psychology is a vast discipline (a collection of disciplines composed of many overlapping fields of study) Psychology: the scientific study of behaviour, thought, and experience, and how they can be affected by physical, mental, social, and environmental factors. Scientific method: a way of learning about the world through collecting observations, developing theories to explain them, and using the theories to make predictions. It involves a dynamic interaction between hypothesis testing and the construction of theories. Once tested, hypotheses are either confirmed or rejected. Confirmed hypotheses lead to new ones and strengthen theories. Rejected hypotheses are revised and tested again, and can potentially alter an existing theory. Scientific thinking and procedures revolve around the concepts of a hypothesis and a theory. Both guide the process and progress of the sciences. Hypothesis: testable prediction about processes that can be observed and measured.
