Anomalistic Psychology
Lesson 1
What is meant by pseudoscience?
• Name the characteristics of pseudoscience?
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Specialist terminology
No progress in the accumulation of knowledge
Evidence based on anecdotal evidence
Proposes unfalsifiable hypotheses.
No support from scientific research. Progress is
impossible.
– Avoids peer review
– Counter-evidence presented by sceptics is usually
dismissed.
Past Exam question
Explain what is meant by pseudoscience (5 marks)
Read the ‘Past exam question sheet’ and work in pairs to
complete the activities
– Missing characteristics of pseudoscience
– Why modal answer achieved top marks
– Improvements made to the answer
• Missing characteristics from mark scheme:
1. Pseudoscience is not published in peer-reviewed
journals (often appears in magazines, newspapers or on
the internet)
2. Investigations, where they are carried out at all, are
often methodologically flawed and not replicable
3. Theories are usually unfalsifiable
4. Aims to support claims rather than refute them
• Potential reasons for answer achieving high marks:
1. Gives overall definition of Pseudoscience.
2. Four accurate characteristics given.
3. They have elaborated on most characteristics – done
really well for peer review.
4. Made reference to major features of science e.g.
hypothesis testing
Activity
Page 3
For each statement identify and explain which
aspect of pseudoscience it demonstrates.
• Some creationists claim that God made the earth with signs of prior
aging, such as fossils in rocks, already in place.
• Falsifiability (cannot disprove)
• Western astrology has changed very little over the past 2500 years.
• Lack of progress (In science use hypothesis testing to challenge existing
theories)
• Pseudoscientists often publish straight to books, magazines or on the
internet.
• Lack of peer review (independent experts cannot check for validity –
this in turn limits the credibility)
• Claims for psychic healing working usually rely on personal testimony of
those it has treated.
• Poor method – anecdotal evidence (subjective)
• Psychic healing uses imprecise terminology such as vibrations, energy,
fields and harmonization.
• Complex and imprecise jargon
• Many UFologists argue that UFO sceptics cannot provide watertight
explanations to refute every single UFO sighting put before them, so the
UFOologists argue that the sceptics should admit that UFOs exist.
• Reliance on sceptics to disprove, so aims to prove its own theories.
What do you think this is?
Occam’s razor
• Occam’s razor is the principle of simplicity .
• If there are two competing explanations, then all other things being
equal, the simpler one is to be preferred.
• Many pseudoscience explanations are very complicated, so Occam’s
razor would suggest a simpler often non-paranormal explanation is
the better one.
• Others argue that the simplest explanation does not have to be the
correct one – Mulder from the X-Files called Occam’s razor the
principle of limited imagination.
Activity page 4
Parapsychology
Science or pseudoscience?
Parapsychology –
science or pseudoscience?
• It has been argued that
• anomalistic psychology uses the scientific method to establish
truths about paranormal phenomena, whereas
•
parapsychology uses pseudoscience, or in some cases ‘fraud’ as
an explanation for the phenomena.
• However, there is a debate about to what extent parapsychology
is a ‘true’ science or a pseudoscience.
Parapsychology –
science or pseudoscience?
• You will be directed to pieces of evidence related to
Parapsychology.
• Your job is to use your knowledge of the features of science and
pseudoscience to explain how this evidence could be used to
debate the scientific status of parapsychology.
Exam practice
Now we have discussed this – write a answer to
the exam question on p5 (use the space
underneath the hint box)
The study of paranormal cognition
methodological issues
Define ESP (Extrasensory perception)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq7O8RCmgY
Getting you thinking!
• What does ESP stand for?
Extrasensory perception- reception of information not gained
through the recognized physical senses but sensed with the mind
• What three types of psychic abilities class as examples of ESP?
Telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance
• What is telepathy?
“mind to mind contact” The alleged ability to read somebodies
mind or transmit your own thoughts into somebody’s.
Now in pairs design a scientific way of testing if somebody has
telepathic abilities i.e. esp!!
Activity
Complete the first activity on page 6: fill in the
spaces