PSYCHOLOGY NOTES 8 28 14 8 28 14 5 35 PM Psychology 1010 009 Class notes 8 28 14 Professor Raymond Voss Psychology Today Modern psychology is full of several disciplines that each have a unique contribution to psychology Clinical Psychology Perform assessments Diagnose and treat mental disorders Conduct research on people with mental disorders Counsel individuals who are experiencing temporary or relatively self contained life problems Counseling psychology Martial con ict sexual dysfunctions occupational stress career uncertainty Work in counseling centers hospitals ect Cognitive psychology Interested in information processing What affects this processing how do people think perceive remember speak solve problems Examines the psychological basis of behavior in both humans and animals Assess and diagnose inmates and assist with their treatment and rehabilitation Conduct research on eyewitness testimony jury decision making Apply psychological principles to the law and court systems Most work for universities and colleges or other research institutions Biological Psychologists Most work for universities and colleges or other research institutions Forensic Psychology Work in prisons Jails Courts Universities college and other research institutions Industrial Organization Psychology Work in companies and businesses to help select productive employees evaluate performance examine the Scienti c Thinking Why is scienti c thinking important effects of different working and living conditions on people behavior Design equipment to maximize employee performance and minimize accidents Can be clinically or experimentally trained Our common sense about the world is often incorrect Naiive Realism The belief that we see the world precisely as it is Humans have several cognitive biases that we often fall into Scienti c thinking can help to sage guard us from our own biases Common Biases Con rmation Bias Tendency to seek out our beliefs and to deny dismiss or distort evidence that Page 1 of 6 PSYCHOLOGY NOTES 8 28 14 8 28 14 5 35 PM Psychology 1010 009 Class notes 8 28 14 Professor Raymond Voss Modern psychology is full of several disciplines that each have a unique contribution to psychology Conduct research on people with mental disorders Counsel individuals who are experiencing temporary or relatively self contained life problems Martial con ict sexual dysfunctions occupational stress career uncertainty how do people think perceive remember speak solve problems Most work for universities and colleges or other research institutions Examines the psychological basis of behavior in both humans and animals Most work for universities and colleges or other research institutions Assess and diagnose inmates and assist with their treatment and rehabilitation Conduct research on eyewitness testimony jury decision making Apply psychological principles to the law and court systems Work in prisons Jails Courts Universities college and other research institutions Work in companies and businesses to help select productive employees evaluate performance examine the effects of different working and living conditions on people behavior Design equipment to maximize employee performance and minimize accidents Our common sense about the world is often incorrect Naiive Realism The belief that we see the world precisely as it is Humans have several cognitive biases that we often fall into Scienti c thinking can help to sage guard us from our own biases Con rmation Bias Tendency to seek out our beliefs and to deny dismiss or distort evidence that Page 2 of 6 PSYCHOLOGY NOTES 8 28 14 8 28 14 5 35 PM contradicts them Belief Perseverance Tendency to stick to our beliefs even when evidence contradicts them Emotional Reasoning Fallacy Error of using our emotions as guides for evaluating the valency of claim Bandwagon Fallacy Error of assuming that a claim is correct just because lots of people believe in it Not Me Fallacy Error of believing that we are immune from errors and thinking that effect others Patternicity Tendency to see patterns even when no actual pattern exists Hot Hand fallacy Because were meaning seeking organisms and experience patternicity we can sometime confuse random events as streaks Scienti c theory An explanation for a large number of ndings in he natural world Cannot be Proven This does NOT mean they are just random or educated guesses Critical thinking Set of skills for evaluating all claims with an open mind but in a careful and logical Hypothesis A testable prediction that is derived from a theory Must be falsi able testable Framework for scienti c thinking manner 1 Ruling out rival hypotheses 2 Correlation isn t causation 1 Falsi ablilty 4 Replicability 5 Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence 6 Occam s Razor parsimony WATCH OUT FOR Metaphysical claims Beyond the realm of science Cannot be tested using scienti c means Does not necessarily mean they are wrong but tread with caution Pseudoscience A set of claims that seem scienti c but are not Common signs Overuse of ad hoc immunizing hypotheses Exaggerated claims Overreliance on anecdotes Lack of review by other scholars Lack off self correction when contrary evidence is provided Meaningless scienti c terms thrown together Page 3 of 6 PSYCHOLOGY NOTES 8 28 14 8 28 14 5 35 PM Belief Perseverance Tendency to stick to our beliefs even when evidence contradicts them Emotional Reasoning Fallacy Error of using our emotions as guides for evaluating the valency of claim Bandwagon Fallacy Error of assuming that a claim is correct just because lots of people believe in it Not Me Fallacy Error of believing that we are immune from errors and thinking that effect others Tendency to see patterns even when no actual pattern exists Because were meaning seeking organisms and experience patternicity we can sometime confuse Scienti c theory An explanation for a large number of ndings in he natural world This does NOT mean they are just random or educated guesses Hypothesis A testable prediction that is derived from a theory Critical thinking Set of skills for evaluating all claims with an open mind but in a careful and logical 5 Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence Cannot be tested using scienti c means Does not necessarily mean they are wrong but tread with caution A set of claims that seem scienti c but are not Overuse of ad hoc immunizing hypotheses Overreliance on anecdotes Lack of review by other scholars Lack off self correction