How does a common sense approach to answering questions differ from the methods employed in social psychology? Give an example of a question posed in the text that illustrates these differences
What will be an ideal response?
Common sense may seem to explain many social psychological findings after the fact.
The problem is distinguishing commonsense fact from commonsense myth. After all,
for many commonsense notions, there is an equally sensible sounding notion that says
the opposite. Is it "Birds of a feather flock together" or "Opposites attract"? Is it "Two
heads are better than one" or "Too many cooks spoil the broth"? Which are correct?
We have no reliable way to answer such questions
through common sense or intuition alone.
Social psychology, unlike common sense, uses the scientific method to put its theories
to the test. How it does so will be discussed in greater detail in the next chapter. But
before we leave this section, one word of caution: Those four "findings" listed above?
They are all false. Although there may be sensible reasons to believe each of the
statements to be true, research indicates otherwise. Therein lies another problem with
relying on common sense: Despite offering very compelling predictions and
explanations, it is sometimes wildly inaccurate. And even when it is not completely
wrong, common sense can be misleading in its simplicity. Often there is no simple
answer to a question such as "Does absence make the heart grow fonder?" In reality,
the answer is more complex than common sense would suggest, and social
psychological research reveals how such an answer depends on a variety of factors.
You might also like to view...
What part(s) of brain development is(are) responsible for improvements in memory, attention, and processing speed?
A. synaptogenesis B. neurogenesis C. lateralization and neurogenesis D. myelination and pruning
A formal agreement stating behaviors to be changed and consequences that apply is known as
a. the Premack principle. b. higher order conditioning. c. a behavioral contract. d. self-recording.
In Rogers' comments on the institution of education, he maintains that:
a. teachers trust their students b. the primary emphasis in education is on passive learning by students c. teachers should set the goals for students d. teachers encourage creatively in their students
Dr. Fernwood is a research psychologist. The main focus of her research is the use of psychological knowledge to find ways to reduce bullying in schools. Dr. Fernwood's research could be described as ____ psychology
a. basic b. forensic c. applied d. I/O