STANOVICH PSYCHOLOGY

Stanovich about psychology



Stanovich about psychology

Chapter 1

A: Stanovich claims that three features describe science. List and define them

Stanovich discusses three characteristics of science:

Systematic Empiricism

Evidence-based. In all its forms, empiricism stresses the fundamental role of experience. As a doctrine in epistemology it holds that all knowledge is ultimately based on experience. Similarly an empirical theory of significance or of thought holds that the implication of words or our concepts are copied from experience. This entry is restricted to epistemological empiricism.

Publicly verifiable

Ideas are open to scrutiny.

Deals with solvable problems

Only testable ideas

B: How does an empirical approach differ from the Sizi's explanation on page?

An empirical statement explains observations or research which is based on actual observations. It is thus distinguished from something based only on theoretical or other abstract thinking processes. "Most well-educated people vote in national elections" is an empirical statement based on actual observations of voting behavior. The question of what we mean by a "well-educated person" is not, however, an empirical question. Instead, the answer is arrived at through abstract reasoning (Matthews, 2001).

Empiricism is a philosophical approach based on the idea that the only valid form of knowledge is that which is gathered through the use of the senses. According to this perspective, if something cannot be observed, then it is of no use in trying to explain natural or other phenomena.

C: And how does systematic empiricism differ from empiricism more generally?

Scientific research relies on the use of empirical data for acquiring knowledge. Empiricism means making use of observation and experience. Science goes beyond the use of the empiricism normally used in everyday life, however. Scientific research employs systematic empiricism.

Observation itself is essential in acquiring scientific knowledge, but unstructured observation of the natural world will not lead to an increased understanding of the world.

D: What does Stanovich mean when he says, “No researcher is an island”?

John Donne told us that “no man is an island.” Similarly, in science, no researcher is an island. Each investigator is connected to the research community and its knowledge base. This interconnection enables science to grow cumulatively and for research-based educational practice to be built on a convergence of knowledge from a variety of sources. Researchers constantly build on previous knowledge in order to go beyond what is currently known. This procedure is potential only if research findings are accessible in such a way that any investigator can use them ...