Lecture Material

• What are characteristics of pseudoscience?

  1. Attempts to present knowledge that uses scientific terms to make claims look compelling, without scientific data.
  2. Takes reputable science and presents it out of context.
  3. Carefully designed to confirm existing theories and anecdotes.
• How to identify pseudoscience?

  • Claims are not falsifiable.
  • If tests are reported, methodology is not scientific and accuracy of data is questionable.
  • Supportive evidence is anecdotal or relies heavily on authorities who are "so-called" experts in the area of interest. Genuine, peer-reviewed scientific references are not cited.
• Four goals of scientific research?

  1. Describe Behaviour – Involves careful observation and measurement; can provide a foundation for future work.
  2. Predict Behaviour – Once it has been observed that two events are regularly and systematically related to one another; it is possible to make predictions; still, not always causal.
  3. Determine Causes of Behaviour – Experiments are used to identify causal relationships; know the causes of behaviour, we can change behaviour.
  4. Understand/Explain Behaviour – Additional research is often needed to explore possible explanations of causal relationships.
• What is the criteria for causal claims?

  It is not enough to know that two events occur together, rather:

  1. When cause is present, the effect occurs.
  2. There is temporal order of events in which the cause precedes the effect.
  3. Alternative explanations are eliminated.
• Basic Research

  Attempts to answer fundamental questions about the nature of behaviour.
• Applied Research

  Addresses practical problems and potential solutions.
• What is a theory and what are the two important functions of it in science?

  Definition: A system of logical ideas that are proposed to explain a particular phenomenon.

  The Functions:

  1. Theories organise and explain a variety of specific facts or descriptions of behaviour.
  2. Theories generate new knowledge.
• What is the scientific principle of parsimony?

  The least complex theory is most desirable.
• What is the Meaning Maintenance Model?

  A broad theory – if it holds up to further testing – that might successfully explain findings from other theories.