2.1 Empiricism and the Scientific Method

theory

A hypothetical explanation of a natural phenomenon

3 things make humans especially difficult to study

Complexity, Variability and Reactivity

How do we decide if a theory is right?

Theories make specific predictions about what we should observe. When evidence is consistent with a theory, it increases our confidence in that theory, but it never makes us completely certain.

Complexity

The human brain is complex. Many external factors and experiences go into the development of the human brain/mind. 500 million interconnected neurons that constitute the brain give rise to the thoughts, feelings, and actions that are psychology's core concerns

2 methods allow us to meet the challenge of studying humans

1) Methods of observation which allow us to determine what people do, 2) Methods of explanation which allow us to determine why people do it

hypothesis

A falsifiable prediction made by a theory. The word falsifiable is a critical part of that definition

scientific method

A procedure for finding truth by using empirical evidence

The scientific method suggests

Develop theories, derive hypotheses from them, test those hypotheses by gathering evidence, and then use that evidence to modify the theories when necessary

Variability

People are as varied as their fingerprints. No two individuals ever do, say, think, or feel exactly the same thing under exactly the same circumstances, which means that when you've seen one, you've most definitely not seen them all

Reactivity

People often think, feel, and act one way when they are being observed and a different way when they are not. When people know they are being studied, they don't always behave as they otherwise would.

empiricism

The belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation

dogmatists

Who thought that the best way to understand illness was to develop theories about the body's functions. people who went to see dogmatists tended to die. Today we use the word dogmatism to describe the tendency for people to cling to their assumptions