Chapter 1 Implicit Theory unique to each person Some people think that it is the norm to have dinner with the family every night however a lot of people don t do that Gun Control growing up with a firearm in the house is a huge factor Based on our individual experiences Shapes how we view the world Very difficult to change Research as a Process The 4 Scientific Cycles Theory Data Cycle Basic Research Applied Research Cycle Peer Review Cycle Journal to Journal Cycle Theory Data Cycle AKA scientific method Theory leads researches to pose Research questions which lead to an appropriate Research design in the context of the design researchers formulate Hypotheses researchers then collect and analyze Data feeds back into the cycle promotes more theories Empiricism AKA empiric method or empirical research Important aspect of good hypotheses AND theories Based in observation Falsifiability Much easier to demonstrate if something is false rather than true Best you can hope is that your data supports your hypothesis Laws vs Theories vs Models Theories dictate important variables Variables are used to create the model The Basic Applied Research Cycle Applied Research Practical problem goal is that findings will be directly applied to that problem New treatments for depression autism etc New way to teach or assess math English etc Basic Research To enhance the general body of knowledge Understand the visual system Identify motivations in depressed individuals Learn more about infant attachment The Peer Review Cycle Scientific articles are peer reviewed journals Rigorously reviewed by other scientists Anonymous review honest assessment Manuscripts can be rejected accepted or accepted with revisions The Journal to Journalism Cycle Scientists read science journals Often non scientists write and read about the findings in the popular press Pros and cons The consumer needs to assess importance and accuracy The Mozart Effect playing Mozart for your baby will lead to a higher IQ Mother of the Mozart Effect had college students listen to classical music and then noticed a short term effect on higher test scores It became more and more popular and it turned into if you play classical music for your baby even in the womb they will be smarter Distinguishing science from Pseudoscience Dissemination Scientific findings are published in peer reviewed publications using standards for honesty and accuracy aimed at scientists Pseudoscientific findings disseminated to general public via sources that are not peer reviewed Cialdini Social psychologists Ways to persuade someone likeability and authority No reviews for precision or accuracy Dr Oz using his position at Stanford and his likeability to persuade people of doing things that are wrong Replication Limiting Bias Understanding Statistics Chapter 2 Sources of Evidence for people s beliefs Experience Intuition gut reaction Authority Empirical research evidence could be not legit and presented to them from an authority figure or a certain news outlet bias can play a role Experience Personal experience has no comparison group you are only 1 piece of data Where are the control groups Truth in advertising My cousin was depressed and didn t get therapy and was perfectly fine so I don t need therapy if I get depressed Good to look for products that discuss placebo trials control groups etc Experience is confounded we don t really know what it was that led to our experience If you start working out every day eating vegan and drinking a gallon of water if you lose weight you can t say it s only because of your new vegan diet Confounds or confounding variables are things that might have caused a change and you didn t control for It s hard to isolate variables Chapter 3 Three Claims Four Validities Interrogation Tools for Consumers of Research Claims in Research 3 types Frequency claims 1 never 5 always Deadliest Day for Suicide Wednesday Association Claims correlations Wine Choice Tied to Personality Causal claims Factor A Factor B Loneliness makes you cold Describe a rate or level of something Generally focus on only 1 variable Frequency Claims Association Claims Association and causal claims focus on relations between more than 1 variable The variables are always measured not manipulated Not to be confused with anecdotal claims A potential problem with using frequency data Tell a story true perhaps but don t report results from a study What is a lot to one person may be a little to someone else Belly Fat linked to Dementia ADHD Drugs not Linked to Future Drug Abuse One level of a variable is linked to a level of another variable Correlated co vary related At least 2 variables and both are measured 4 types of association Positive Negative Zero Curvilinear Curvilinear taking risks and age When you re young you take more risks and when you hit middle age you stop and then when you get older you say fuck it Associations and Scatter Plots One variable plotted on x axis other on y axis Each dot is a single data point Correlation does not imply causation Why are associations useful You should not infer causality from correlational data for 2 reasons There may be a third variable and you don t know what caused what Association Claim Words Is linked to Goes with Are more less likely to Causal Claims Third variable problem There may be an unmeasured variable that actually causes variable to change together Directionality Problem Not always possible to specify the direction in which a causal arrow points Do video games and the internet ruin our relationships Causal claims argue that one variable is responsible for a change in another variable Can be positive negative or curvilinear Music Lessons Enhance IQ Debt Stress Causing Health Problems Poll Finds Family Meals Curb Teen Eating Disorders Causal Claim Words Causes Affects Leads to Makes Hurts Promotes Reduces Worsens Causal claims are stronger and therefore held to a higher standard Must establish that 2 variables are correlated Must show that one came first causal variable and other came second outcome variable Must establish that no other explanations exist for the relationship Experiments are required to determine this must manipulate one variable and record the other Chapter 4 Ethical Guidelines for Psychological Research Little Albert A Study of Fear How do we learn fear How specific are the fears we learn Can we be taught to fear something we formerly didn t Do our fears generalize US UR US CS CR limited Tuskegee
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