CHAPTER 1:

DILIG,
DIANA

PSY
INTRODUCTION, ACQUIRING 324-1
KNOWLEDGE, & THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
• THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
- basic, standard practice in the world of science
WHY TAKE A RESEARCH METHODS COURSE?
- course requirement
- application of science and mathematics (statistics)
HOW IS UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
USEFUL?
• Psychology Is a Science
• Conducting a Study
• Reading and Evaluating Other People’s Studies
 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
• Understanding Brief Descriptions of Studies
• Making Decisions in Your Daily Life
• Being a Better Thinker
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Methods of acquiring knowledge – ways in which a
person can know things or discover answers to
questions
1. THE METHOD OF TENACITY – information is
accepted as true because it has always been
believed or because superstition supports it
2. THE METHOD OF INTUITION – information is
accepted on the basis of a hunch or “gut feeling”
3. THE METHOD OF AUTHORITY – a person relies on
information or answers from an expert in the
subject area
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Ex. Lines Pauling – a Nobel Prize-winning chemist,
claimed that vitamin C could cure the common cold

Conflict Between Science and Authority

• Theological authorities vs. scientific pursuit
• Ex. Geocentric view (religious doctrine) vs.
Heliocentric view (Copernicus & Galileo)
- 1616 – Galileo was condemned by the authorities of
the Catholic Church
- 1992 – the Pope vindicated Galileo in an official
statement
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• The method of faith – a variant of the method of
authority in which people have unquestioning trust
in the authority figure and, therefore, accept
information from the authority without doubt or
challenge
4. THE RATIONAL METHOD (rationalism) – seeks
answers by the use of logical reasoning
• Premise statements – sentences used in logical
reasoning that describe facts or assumptions
• Argument – a set of premise statements that are
logically combined to yield a conclusion
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Ex. (1) All 3-year-old children are afraid of the dark.
(2) Amy is a 3-year-old girl.
(3) Therefore, Amy is afraid of the dark.
Sentence 1 and 2 are premise statements
Sentence 3 is a logical conclusion based on the
premises
Sentence 1,2,3 – argument
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Suppose, for example, that you have an exam
scheduled, but when you are ready to leave for
campus, you discover that your car will not start.
One response to this situation is to consider your
options logically:
a) You could call your auto club, but by the time
they arrive and fix the car, you probably will have
missed the exam.
b) You could take the bus, but you do not have the
schedule, so you are not sure if the bus can get
you to campus on time.
c) You could ask your neighbor to loan you her car
for a few hours.
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Imagine that you are standing in the doorway of
one building on campus and need to get to
another building 100 yards away. Unfortunately, it is
pouring rain, and you have no raincoat or umbrella.
Before you step out into the storm, take a minute to
figure out the best strategy to keep yourself as dry
as possible.
• Specifically, should you
a) run as fast as you can from one building to the
next, or
b) walk at a slow and steady pace?
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Logically, as you move through the rain, there are 2
sources of getting wet:
1. The rain that is falling down on your head and
shoulders
2. The rain in the air in front of you that you walk into
as you move forward
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
We can now construct a logical argument based on
these facts to answer the original question:
• The faster you move, the less rain will fall on you
(source 1).
• The amount of rain you walk into (source 2) will be
the same whether you run or walk.
• The total amount of rain that hits you is the sum of
the two sources.
• Therefore, your best bet for keeping as dry as
possible is to run as fast as you can.
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
• Finally, people are not particularly good at logical
reasoning. Consider the following argument:

All psychologists are human.

Some humans are women.
Therefore, some psychologists are women.
(*The conclusion is not logically justified by the premise
statements.)

• Consider the following argument (same structure but

replaces psychologists & women with apples & oranges):

All apples are fruits.

Some fruits are oranges.
Therefore, some apples are oranges.
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
5. THE EMPIRICAL METHOD (empiricism) – uses
observation or direct sensory experience to obtain
knowledge
• objective experience vs. subjective belief

• a critical component of the scientific method

1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE

Figure 1.1 The Horizontal-Vertical Illusion

To most people, the vertical line appears to be

longer even though both lines are exactly the same
length.
 1.2 METHODS OF KNOWING AND
ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE

TABLE 1.1 Summary of Nonscientific Methods of Acquiring Knowledge

Method Way of Knowing or Finding Answer
Tenacity from habit or superstition
Intuition from a hunch or feeling
Authority from an expert
Rationalism from reasoning; logical conclusion
Empiricism from direct sensory observation