Question

Can someone who's read the worth expert guide to scientific literacy: thinking like a psychological scientist tell me what chapters number 3 and 4 are about? the names of the chapters are "lets be reasonable: evaluating arguments and evidence," and "unederstanding the numbers." Please what are the key points made in these two chapters and explain in a short summary about both chapters. I'm not a psychology major so it's hard for me to understand it.

Answer 1

Let's be reasonable : evaluating arguments and evidence:

It is a chapter about critical thinking. Psychologists don't believe any thing without evidence.They asks proof for any argument, belief, prediction etc.,

REASONABLE:

It is a process of asking and searching reason for every belief ,argument, thought. It is a conscious side of thinking.

EVALUATING ARGUMENTS:

If number of psychologists participated in a research. Each and everybody gives their opinions on research. Some times conflicts will occur in their opinions. Those are called arguments. The process of understanding those arguments called evaluating arguments.

EVIDENCE:

It is a physical or visual proof for arguments. By seeing evidence only researchers belive arguments.

UNDERSTANDING THE NUMBERS:

After doing research readings will be taken. Those readings are in numerical form in many times. By understanding those numbers we can understand the effectiveness of the research.

Example:

F (2,4) =14.02, p<.01

by seeing that a psychologist can understand the effectiveness of the research.