PSYCH 2GG3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1.2: Folk Psychology
Chapter 1.2 – theory building
Definition:
- Learning: all relatively permanent changes in potential** for behaviors that result from
experience but are not caused by fatigue, maturation, drugs, injury or disease
o What happens to the organism as a result of experience
o Changes in behavior =
▪ evidence that learning has occurred
- **evidence that learning has occurred depends on the opportunity to perform; hence the
need to define it as a change in potential for behavior rather than simply as a change in
behavior
Theory:
- discovering things and assuming regularity / trying to explain them is what theory
building is all about
- behavior is a complicated topic and we use theories to better simply it
theories, principles, laws and beliefs:
- a scientific theory =
o a collection of related statements whose main function is to summarize and
explain observations
theory building:
o begins with assumptions
▪ (unproven beliefs)
o they develop explanations for what they observe
o this leads them to belief certain relationships exist (if this, then that) →
▪ hypothesis
o observations (data):
▪ gathered to test the validity of the hypotheses
principles:
- statements that relate to some predictability in nature / behaviour
o with new evidence, principles are subject to change
o but not the case with laws
laws:
- statements whose accuracy is beyond reasonable doubt
o conclusions based on what seem to be undeniable observations / unquestionable
logic
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