PSYC 2301: Exam 1 Review Questions & Answers(GRADED A)

Kinds of Information - ANSWERBelief vs Knowledge: - Belief -- propositions unsupported by facts - Knowledge -- propositions supported by facts Opinion vs fact: - Opinion -- inherently involves interpretation - Facts -- involves an objective, real observation Sources of Information: Intuition - ANSWERIntuition is a source of belief, not information - Sometimes involves a hard-to-track-down source of a feeling - Sometimes involves anecdote - Sometimes involves a mistaken analogy Acting on intuition without exploring real data is dangerous Sources of information: Authority vs Empirical observation - ANSWERLawrence Summers example - Believed men and women had "innate biological differences in capabilities including overall IQ, mathematical ability and scientific ability" Summers asserted, without giving evidence, that innate biological causes led to men being more variable in intelligence, such that that smartest men were smarter than the smartest women. What is empiricism? - ANSWERIn philosophy: the idea that knowledge is derived from experience In practical use in science: the idea that knowledge comes from systematic observation and tests, not logical reasoning alone Systematic and controlled observation - ANSWERObservation can be wrong! - Example: you wore red socks on game day one time. The football team won Systematic observation: - Does the football team win every time you wear red socks? - Does the football team win when other people wear red socks? - Does the football team win when you don't wear red socks? Controlled observation: - What do you compare your observations against? - Are there other possible explanations? Anecdote - ANSWER- Observation - Lacks (sufficient) comparison group(s)