PSYC1040 FINAL EXAM UPDATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What are research methods? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅standardised ways of asking questions and
collecting observations to answer them
What are statistics? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- branch of mathematics focused on organisation,
analysis and interpretation of a group of numbers
- process of making numerical conjectures about puzzling questions in the face of uncertainty
What unifies psychology? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅the quest to understand behaviour using the
methods of science
How is personal experience a source of knowledge? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- can acquire
knowledge without being consciously aware of the source and may be based on a gut feeling
- based on one's own interpretation of events and is prone to error
What are the problems of authority as a source of knowledge? (5) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- not
directly verifiable
- authority figure may not be an expert
- information may be flawed
- no guarantee of logical evaluation of the data
- can have vested interests
How is the use of reason (logic) a source of knowledge? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Syllogisms: sound
premise leads to a sound conclusion OR flawed premise leads to a flawed conclusion
- all men are mortal
- Richard is a man
- therefore, Richard is mortal
What is knowledge via empiricism? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- gained through objective
observation
, - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching
- need to make sense of observations by using rationalism and empiricism to make sure being logical
Gaining knowledge via science - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅merger of rationalism and empiricism
rationalism = formulation of hypotheses and theories
empiricism = systematic observation and collection of data
Statistics: John Stuart Mill - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Method of Agreement: if X then Y
(experimental group)
Method of Disagreement: if not X then not Y (control group)
Use of research: AZT 1987 - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- 1000s of people in the US were dying of AIDs
with no cure or proven treatment available
- AZT was looking promising as patients given it had increased appetites and weight gains
- 1/145 patients given AZT died
- 19/137 patients given a placebo died
- odds of these differences occurring by chance is 1/1000
What is a theory? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅set of statements that summarise what is known about
something and propose working explanations
- summaries existing knowledge in the area
- organises the knowledge with precise statements about the relationship between factors
- provides tentative explanation
- serves as basis for predictions to be tested
What are the principles of science? (5) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- empiricism (objectivity)
- skepticism
- openness
- tentativeness
What are research methods? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅standardised ways of asking questions and
collecting observations to answer them
What are statistics? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- branch of mathematics focused on organisation,
analysis and interpretation of a group of numbers
- process of making numerical conjectures about puzzling questions in the face of uncertainty
What unifies psychology? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅the quest to understand behaviour using the
methods of science
How is personal experience a source of knowledge? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- can acquire
knowledge without being consciously aware of the source and may be based on a gut feeling
- based on one's own interpretation of events and is prone to error
What are the problems of authority as a source of knowledge? (5) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- not
directly verifiable
- authority figure may not be an expert
- information may be flawed
- no guarantee of logical evaluation of the data
- can have vested interests
How is the use of reason (logic) a source of knowledge? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Syllogisms: sound
premise leads to a sound conclusion OR flawed premise leads to a flawed conclusion
- all men are mortal
- Richard is a man
- therefore, Richard is mortal
What is knowledge via empiricism? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- gained through objective
observation
, - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching
- need to make sense of observations by using rationalism and empiricism to make sure being logical
Gaining knowledge via science - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅merger of rationalism and empiricism
rationalism = formulation of hypotheses and theories
empiricism = systematic observation and collection of data
Statistics: John Stuart Mill - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Method of Agreement: if X then Y
(experimental group)
Method of Disagreement: if not X then not Y (control group)
Use of research: AZT 1987 - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- 1000s of people in the US were dying of AIDs
with no cure or proven treatment available
- AZT was looking promising as patients given it had increased appetites and weight gains
- 1/145 patients given AZT died
- 19/137 patients given a placebo died
- odds of these differences occurring by chance is 1/1000
What is a theory? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅set of statements that summarise what is known about
something and propose working explanations
- summaries existing knowledge in the area
- organises the knowledge with precise statements about the relationship between factors
- provides tentative explanation
- serves as basis for predictions to be tested
What are the principles of science? (5) - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅- empiricism (objectivity)
- skepticism
- openness
- tentativeness
