PSY 2012 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Naturalistic Observation, External Validity, Internal Validity
28 Aug 2016
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Prefrontal lobotomy: surgical procedure that severs fibers connecting the frontal lobes of the brain from
the underlying thalamus (for several decades in the 20th century, professionals were convinced that
lobotomies were effective treatment for schizophrenia and other mental disorders)
-The same psychological processes that serve us well in most situations also predispose us to errors in
thinking
"intuitive" thinking: First impressions, gut hunches, natural reactions
"analytical" thinking: slow and reflective though that requires mental effort. Used when reasoning
through problems, sometimes rejects gut hunches when they seem wrong.
Heuristic: mental shortcut or rule of thumb that helps us to streamline our thinking and makes sense of
our world "When I've heard of a city, I'll assume it's larger in population than a city I've never heard of"
Research Design
Advantages
Naturalistic Observation: High in external validity
Case Studies:
Can provide existence proofs
Allow us to study rare or unusual phenomena
Can offer insights for later systematic testing
Correlational Designs:
Can help us predict behavior
Experimental Designs:
Allow us to infer causation
High in internal validity
Disadvantages
Naturalistic Observation:
Low in internal validity
Doesn't allow us to infer causation
Case Studies:
Are typically anecdotal
Don't allow us to infer causation
Correlational Designs:
Don't allow us to infer causation
Experimental Designs:
Can sometimes be low in external validity
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