Stanovich How To Think Straight About Psychology Summary

There are examples that as students and employees we may encounter with people. The article tells us why it impacts our field and how it does. It also goes into the different types of psychology and gives an in depth definition about them all and how they are contrastive they are from each other. The information that seemed to catch my eye was how many varying types of psychology there are and all they study and how certain ones are use therapies for

There has been an ongoing debate on whether psychology is indeed scientific, although recent, psychology is now considered a science. This is because it uses scientific methodology in researching, devising treatments and measuring the outcomes. These methods include collecting and analysing data and concluding their findings in order to identify whether the research or treatment adequality solves the problem. Scientific studies must be replicable, this means the if repeated exactly the same, the results should produce an identical outcome. Replicability can be increased by ruling out any alternatives that may not have originally been thought of. Objectivity in science is the idea that scientist, in an attempt to get the best results, must first

Though there are many good and bad aspects of the scientific method, there is an underlying fault with all of them. The scientific method in psychology relies on empiricism. Empiricism is a view that all knowledge is derived from experience. The scientific method can ultimately be split into two attitudes. The first is the dogmatic attitude. Dogmatism is the wish to impose regularities on the basis that repetition of regularly occurring events mean that a belief in

In her article, “Review of Stanley Milgram’s Experiments on Obedience”, psychologist Diana Baumrind criticizes Stanley Milgram’s experiments on obedience to authority, stating that not only were Milgram’s experiments unethical but so was the scientist himself, claiming that he did not take appropriate measures to properly ensure his subject’s wellbeing post-experiment and therefore, experiments such as these should not be repeated. Baumrind does address an important point in her review and that is the responsibility of psychologists to ensure that their subjects are treated fairly and ethically but this is overshadowed by the fact that Baumrind’s argument is one rooted in pathos with little evidence to support her claims while being

When it comes to the scientific method, especially in the science of psychology, there are many different ways a question can be asked in order to get the conclusion to a hypothesis. Psychology is by its nature something that not only produces many questions but also helps to find the answer to those questions. Through asking the right questions a person can see a whole new world of understanding unfold before them. This understanding of why a person or animal acts the way it does has been groundbreaking in the growth of understanding a individual on a much deeper level than the sociological standpoint. Before this understanding can be obtained however one must learn first how to ask a proper question and then in turn how to test that

In module 1. pages 3-6, Myers discusses the different regions of psychology and also credits scientists, philosophers and students who developed psychology into what it is now. According to Myers, mental processes are subjective experiences. When a person has these mental processes such as beliefs or dreams, how do psychologists link specific behaviors to them considering these mental processes are subjective? Are there any past scientists, philosophers or students that should not be considered a psychologist anymore because our definition of psychology has changed? As psychology is always changing due to new advances of information, should past psychological theories no longer be considered as more appropriate ones are being

Explanations of narcolepsy are in majority biological. Scientists have discovered that narcoleptics often are lacking in hypocretin which is a chemical in the brain that control sleep and wakefulness. A lack of this chemical may explain the sudden attacks of sleep.

In chapter 8 of Handbook of Emotions, The Evolutionary Psychology of the Emotions and Their Relationship to Internal Regulatory Variables, Tooby & Cosmides (2008) thoroughly discuss the theories of how emotions came to be. The overall conclusion is that emotions did not inadvertently occur, but instead were specifically designed and evolved to solve distinct issues that would affect the probability of fitness. Emotions evolved to utilize physical responses based on environmental cues in order to promote the individual’s overall success.

The start of psychology as a discipline was a journey filled with uncertainty and codependence. After ongoing maturation its place was revealed independently within colleges and universities throughout America.

A recent Pew poll shows there is an increasingly substantial amount of public disagreement about basic scientific facts, facts such as the human though process (Scientific American). People in today’s society believe that studies, for example the Stanley Milgram Experiments, are falsified and irrelevant. In “The Perils of Obedience” Stanley Milgram, an experienced psychologist at Yale, explains how the human mind reacts to commands when placed under extreme stress. However, Diana Baumrind, a clinical and developmental psychologist, disagrees with Milgram in her article “Review of Stanley Milgram 's Experiments on

After these study researches and conclusions made, we really can see the differences and understand about psychology is indeed a common sense or based on well researched studies. The scientific methodology is fundamental in all scientific disciplines which is based on the following process and used regularly as a systematic scientific study:

The general public has doubts about the psychology’s credibility and usefulness (Lilienfeld, 2012). These misconceptions have been tied to possible sources of skepticism such as “illusions of understanding, psychology’s problematic public face, and individual’s hindsight bias” (Lilienfeld, 2012). This skepticism must exist for a reason and it is crucial to understand why the general public finds behavioral science research less credible than that of other scientific disciplines often described as “harder” sciences.

Studies such as the afore mentioned Milgram study showed that what may appear to be the most expected outcome may, in truth, be very different. I would also go on to argue that in actuality all sciences are some adaptation of common sense (Oppenheimer, 1956), leaving Psychology in this way, no different to any of the others. Ben Goldacre even argues that particular forms of science, such as neuroscience, regularly offer empirically incorrect research in reputable journals, claiming statistically significant results without the appropriate statistical tests (Guardian).

The lectures in psychology captured my interest like no other subject had. I vividly remember thinking to myself how incredible it was to think about the science behind why we think. Not only did psychology answer some of these questions, it’s also rapidly changing. Contrary to my love of having questions answered, I love how much is still unknown in psychology. With the progression of technology, the landscape of psychology is shifting; videos we watched in class from five or ten years ago posed questions that couldn’t be answered until recently. Our teacher was able to incorporate new evidence into her presentations, removing the feeling of stagnation felt with other

Authored by Keith E. Stanovich, How to Think Straight About Psychology is a known work of the psychology world which was published in 1986. Beginning courses in psychology use his text frequently. Stanovich primary purpose for writing the text is to bring attention to his observation that the public’s understanding of psychology is different from psychology as a modern science. Psychology as a modern science explains the underlying functions that shape human attitudes and behavior. To the people who misunderstand this, the field of psychology is not a real science, but a pseudo-science instead. How to Think Straight About Psychology describes people’s several false impressions of psychology and it gives its readers a factual understanding of the field as a modern and scientific psychology while explaining how this science works.