Psychology 2070A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Internal Validity, External Validity, Random Assignment

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2070A/B
• Professor: Erin Heerey

Document Summary

Many social problems, such as the causes of and reactions to violence, can be studied scientifically. Hindsight bias: tendency for people to exaggerate how much they could have predicted the outcome after knowing that it occurred. The tendency to think "we knew it all along" is already present in three year olds, and continues to be present in elderly people. Theory: an organized set of principles that can be used to explain observed phenomena. Hypothesis: a testable statement or idea about the relationship between two or more variables. Typically generate hypotheses from previous theories and research, as well as personal observations. Theory refinement includes developing a theory, testing specific hypotheses derived from this theory, and revising the theory and formulating new hypotheses based on results. Diffusion of responsibility: when a lot of people witness something that they should take action to stop or prevent, they often assume others are taking this action and therefore do nothing.