You must choose ONE of the following questions/topics below to answer/address. M

Question

You must choose ONE of the following questions/topics below to answer/address. Make sure you answer/address ALL parts of the question/topic. If you quote directly from the text in your answer please indicate so by using quotation marks. When using material from the text you must list page numbers. Remember, grammar counts, this is an upper level course so I expect you to communicate your ideas clearly and to appropriately cite material. DO NOT copy and paste from websites. During the first week of class I will do my best to prompt students and give feedback so you can get a feel for exactly what is expected. Don't forget that a portion of your participation score comes from responding to posts from other students (you must have at least 2 comments/asides to student main posts in addition to your main response) for each discussion. See your syllabus for more details.

1. What are the three fundamental features of the general scientific approach? Be sure to describe each feature and provide a specific example of each.

2. What is pseudoscience? What defines a belief or activity as pseudoscientific? Why should we be concerned about pseudoscience? Describe an example of a pseudoscientific activity or belief and tell us exactly why it is pseudoscientific.

3. People sometimes suggest that psychology cannot be a science because either a) human behavior cannot be predicted with perfect accuracy, or b) must of its subject matter (e.g., thoughts and feelings) cannot be observed directly. Tell us why psychology is a science and why both assumptions are false. What is an "empirical question"? List two empirical and two nonempirical questions about human behavior.

4. What is basic research? What is applied research? Based on your own experience or on things you have already learned about psychology, list three basic research questions and three applied research questions. Be sure to identify specific variables in your examples.

Explanation / Answer

Pseudoscience includes beliefs, theories, or practices that have been or are considered scientific, but have no basis in scientific fact. This could mean they were disproved scientifically, can’t be tested or lack evidence to support them. The basis for the existence of pseudopsychology lies in the fact that people aren't open to question and evaluate. There's no form of systematic practices followed while developing such theories. Pseudopsychology is considered pejorative because it suggests something's being presented as science inaccurately or even deceptively. The classic example is phrenology which was purported to explain character and behaviour through bumps and shape of the skull. The claim was the practitioner could determine the character of individuals by feeling their skulls. Phrenology like homeopathy is not accepted by scientists since there was insufficient evidence. The most notorious pseudoscience currently being propounded is Intelligent Design. ID argues that God must exist because current scientific accounts could not lead to the complexity of living beings. Personally, I think ID is a pseudoscience that borrows the language of science to promote a religious belief. Much more honest is Creationism which claims God created everything. There are three major reasons why we should all be concerned about pseudoscience: 1.Opportunity Cost: missing out on a opportunity for legit treatment. 2.Direct Harm: pseudoscientific treatments sometimes do dreadful harm to those receiving them, causing psychological or physical damage - occasionally even death. 3.An Inability to Think Scientifically as Citizens: Scientific thinking can be applied to all aspects of our lives. Pseudoscience can be especially dangerous when it comes to people's health. If a company makes a claim that their product can heal you of cancer, but there is no real evidence to back it up, and people buy into it, it could cost people their lives. Another type of pseudoscience is something like the "Law of Attraction". This type of belief takes away people's power to think in a rational way and perform actions that allow them to work towards a goal. It tells people that there is this law, which is unfounded by real science, that can help you obtain your desires.

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