| Chapter 1: Psychology as a Science We cannot rely on common sense to understand the mind and behaviors due to several biases: Availability heuristic: we tend to believe that whatever comes to mind first is the right answer. Introspection: can analyze contents of consciousness but not psychological processes. Cultural influences: shape our worldview, beliefs, and expectations. Personal beliefs/confirmation bias: only look for information that confirms held beliefs. Expectancy: unconscious behaviors can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. We have to keep strict experimental conditions in which both participants and experimenters are blind to which condition is assigned to a particular person. To maintain a high degree of objectivity, we use: Operational definitions: precise definitions that allow the measurement of an abstract concept. To be continued... |
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