01 Thinking Critically
Who are you?
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How old are you?
A. Under 20
B. 20’s
C. 30’s
D. 40’s
E. 50 or over
Who are you?
• Gender:
• A. Female
• B. Male
Who are you?
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Are you:
A. Single
B. Living arrangement
C. Married
D. Divorced
E. Widowed
Who are you?
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Do you have children?
A. No
B. One
C. Two
D. Three or more
How do you know what you know?
Class presentation video:
Thinking Critically
What topics do you need help with?
What topics do you need help with?
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A. Theory
B. Hypothesis
C. Correlation – Positive, Negative, Zero
D. Illusory correlation
E. I understand
What topics do you need help with?
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A. Correlation & causation
B. Random sampling & random assignment
C. Case study, naturalistic observation
D. Placebo effect
E. I understand
What topics do you need help with?
• A. replication
• B. Hindsight bias
• C. I understand
Which of the following correlation
coefficients indicates the strongest
relationship between variables?
A.
B.
C.
D.
positive .05
negative .25
positive .75
negative .95
Which of the following correlation
coefficients indicates the strongest
relationship between variables?
A.
B.
C.
D.
positive .05
negative .25
positive .75
negative .95
After watching their favorite team lose a
game, Emma and her friends commented
to each other about how they had always
known the loss was inevitable.
Psychologists call this:
A.
B.
C.
D.
overconfidence.
the false consensus effect.
the hindsight bias.
an illusory correlation.
After watching their favorite team lose a
game, Emma and her friends commented
to each other about how they had always
known the loss was inevitable.
Psychologists call this:
A.
B.
C.
D.
overconfidence.
the false consensus effect.
the hindsight bias.
an illusory correlation.
Dr. Anderson conducts an experiment to see whether
exposure to helpful models leads to helping behavior in
young children. Of the forty girls and boys in his study,
half are exposed to helpful models while the other half
watch the same models not engaged in helping behavior.
In this experiment, the dependent variable is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
the gender of the children.
helpful or non-helpful models.
the age of the children.
helping behavior.
Dr. Anderson conducts an experiment to see whether
exposure to helpful models leads to helping behavior in
young children. Of the forty girls and boys in his study,
half are exposed to helpful models while the other half
watch the same models not engaged in helping behavior.
In this experiment, the dependent variable is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
the gender of the children.
helpful or non-helpful models.
the age of the children.
helping behavior.
Which of the following is the best way to
generate a random sample of students for a
research study?
A. mail out a questionnaire that students could
voluntarily complete and return
B. stand by the door of the library and ask
people who pass by to answer your questions
C. offer extra credit for students in a particular
classroom who choose to participate
D. use a table of random numbers to pick
participants from a student listing
Which of the following is the best way to
generate a random sample of students for a
research study?
A. mail out a questionnaire that students could
voluntarily complete and return
B. stand by the door of the library and ask
people who pass by to answer your questions
C. offer extra credit for students in a particular
classroom who choose to participate
D. use a table of random numbers to pick
participants from a student listing
A significant disadvantage of the
correlational approach is that it:
A. does not provide evidence of cause and
effect.
B. cannot be used to examine relationships
between variables that exist naturally.
C. does not aid in the process of prediction.
D. does not provide information about how two
variables are related.
A significant disadvantage of the
correlational approach is that it:
A. does not provide evidence of cause and
effect.
B. cannot be used to examine relationships
between variables that exist naturally.
C. does not aid in the process of prediction.
D. does not provide information about how two
variables are related.
Which provides a baseline measure of behavior for
comparing whether or not the independent variable
had an effect on the dependent variable?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
An experimental group
A control group
A random sample
A randomly assigned group
A double-blind researcher
Which provides a baseline measure of behavior for
comparing whether or not the independent variable
had an effect on the dependent variable?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
An experimental group
A control group
A random sample
A randomly assigned group
A double-blind researcher
• Use this series of two slides to discuss claims made by
vitamin and supplement companies. Make sure to
include a discussion of confounding variables (what
exactly made them lose the weight? Was it the healthy
meals, or exercise, or the pill?). Students should use
this knowledge to evaluate claims that they see in
magazines or on the internet. Clearly, we would need a
control group with did the same eating and exercise
routine WITHOUT the pills.
• Also, are they swayed by celebrity endorsements,
which are anecdotal evidence (if they are in fact true)?
Consider this advertisement:
Introducing
Super-weight-loss
Supplement BeVit-Chi!
With natural weight loss enhancers!
Research shows that people who took two pills daily with healthy meals,
and exercised at least three times a week lost weight. You too will see
the POUNDS MELT OFF!
BeVit-Chi!
A Super-weight-loss
Supplement
NOTE: Celebrities use this to help
maintain their weight. So should
YOU!
Consider this advertisement:
Research shows that people who took two pills daily with healthy meals,
and exercised at least three times a week lost weight. You too will see
the POUNDS MELT OFF!
BeVit-Chi!
A Super-weight-loss
Supplement
If this research is valid, we
can conclude that this
supplement helps people
to lose weight.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
Which is correct?
More crimes are committed during a full
moon.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
Which is correct?
More crimes are committed during a full
moon.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
Which is correct?
There is more activity in emergency rooms
and mental hospitals during the full
moon.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
Which is correct?
There is more activity in emergency rooms
and mental hospitals during the full
moon.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
• This demo includes two thought-provoking
questions about the illusory correlation (and
answers according to research). Superstitions can
be maintained by illusory correlation (the idea
that two variables are related, when they really
are not). We tend to notice when we have had a
bizarre day, and there is a full moon, but never
notice that we had a bizarre day, and there is a
quarter moon.
• Related ideas are confirmation bias (looking for
information that supports our beliefs), and belief
perseverance (ignoring evidence against our
beliefs).
• Thought Question: Placebo effect
• Surgeries are sometimes performed where
subjects are randomly assigned to receive the
treatment (the surgery) or the placebo
(anesthesia, cuts or scope holes, sewn back up).
Then researchers follow up on pain relief or relief
of other symptoms. Should we use placebo
surgeries? Are there other options besides
placebo surgery? Are there some medical issues
where this is unnecessary?
What do you think?
Researchers should perform placebo
surgeries in order to determine if some
surgeries are effective.
A. True
B. False
Copyright © Allyn & Bacon, 2009
Discussion Question
Imagine you have been asked to create an experimental design
to test the hypothesis that talking on a cell phone impairs driving
skills. Explain why a control condition would be important to
include in testing this hypothesis. How should subjects be
assigned to conditions? How can the researchers design the
experiment so that the only difference between both conditions
is the use of a cell phone?
• What is the control condition?
• Control condition important because?
• How should subjects be assigned to
conditions? Why?
• Design so cell phone use is the only
difference?
Design a double blind study to determine if listening to a
recording while you sleep will help you learn.
• What made your study a double blind study?
• What were the dependent and independent
variables?
• What theory is your study based on?
• What is your hypothesis?
• How could you determine the reliability of
your findings?
• How would you assign people to your study
groups?