Section 2: The Scientific

Method

1. Just because an idea pops into your head, doesn’t mean you should do it or that it’s a good idea.

2. Learning about experiments or watching someone else do one, doesn’t automatically guarantee you success.

Formulate Hypothesis Create an operational experiment. Identify dependent, independent and

confounding variables. Conduct experiment. Record Results Rinse and Repeat.

Try to write a hypothesis for the following experiment.

Identify the independent variable, dependent variables and 2 confounding variables.

What were the results.

After coming up with a hypothesis, why not simply guess to come up with answers?

Because unless you are a Jedi like Giff, guessing or using the force is not scientific and leads to errors.

Psychologists have found that separation weakens romantic attraction.

“Out of sight, out of mind”

Psychologists have found that separation strengthens romantic attraction.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”

“Out of sight, out of mind”

Each half thought the opposite conclusion made perfect sense…that’s bad.

1. Hindsight Bias

“I knew it all along” syndrome.

People see the results of actions and automatically assume they knew the results were true.

After the stock market drops, investors might say, “the market was due for a downturn”.

After 9/11, box cutters on airplanes became natural weapons anyone would use.

After an autopsy report, doctor’s can easily see why someone died, but can’t foresee it when you have symptoms before you die.

WREAT

ETRYN

GRABE

WATER

ENTRY

BARGE

KSNHAT

ANCOE

SDIAE

THANKS

OCEAN

IDEAS

2. Overconfidence

We think we know more than we actually know, or can do more than we can actually do.

The Bottom Line:

Hindsight Bias and Overconfidence often lead us to overestimate our intuition, but scientific experiments help take away human error.

Should scientists study or use animals in experiments?

First of all, why would they?

Human and animal physiology are very similar and conclusions can be drawn from experiments on animals and adapted to human.

30 million animals are used each year in experiments.

However, multiple billions of animals are used as food each year, with no knowledge gained.

200,000 dogs and cats are experimented on each year, but shelters kill 50 times as many strays.

Section 1:

Definition of Psychology Why Psychology grew so quickly 1st Psychology experiment Nature vs Nurture in modern psychology

Section 2:

Scientific Method 2 Reasons why we need

experimentation Ethical debate about Psychology

experimentation Animals, humans, proper experiment

guidelines.