PSY100H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Informed Consent, Wilhelm Wundt, Naturalistic Observation
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PSY100H1 Full Course Notes
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A way of finding answers to empirical questions- questions that can be answered by observing the world and measuring aspects of it. What happens, predicts when it happens, controls what causes it, explain why it happens. General approach to do this scientific method. Theory: explanation of interconnected ideas that explain what is observed and makes predictions about future events good theories generate testable hypotheses (ex: piaget- stages of child development vs. freud"s dreams) Hypothesis: a scientific prediction of what should be observed if theory is correct. Research: involves collection of data, which is objective info that proves if theory/hypothesis is supported. Replication: repeating a study to confirm results. Many significant findings are the result of serendipity- researchers unexpectedly discover something important. Ex: wiesel & hubel- activity of cat"s nerve cells in brain areas associated w/vision. Showed cats dots, no activity in these cells slide jammed, realized that these nerve cells respond to lines and edges, not dots.
