PSYC 270 LEARNING CHECK 1 QUESTIONS
What are the different "ways of knowing" that people have used throughout history? -
Answers- -intuition: relying on common sense as a means of knowing about the world
-authority: relying on a knowledgeable person or group as a means of knowing about
the world
-logic: reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity
-observation (Empiricism): Making observations is the best way to figure out the world
-assumptions and complexity:
How do philosophical and psychological approaches to knowledge differ from
metaphysical
approaches to knowledge? - Answers- -metaphysical systems:
1. Supernatural authority: behavior explained by nonphysical force "magic." Violates
established physical laws.
2. animism: natural phenomenon are alive and influence behavior
2. astrology: Human behavior is determined by the activity of celestial bodies
4. Mythology and Religion: Human behavior is determined by nonphysical
forces (e.g., deities); More sophisticated than animism
-philosophy: Study of knowledge, behavior, and
the nature of reality
1. Rationalism: Knowledge exists a
priori, independent of human
experience
2. Empiricism
How are laws, theories and hypotheses different from each other? - Answers- -
hypothesis: predictions about specific events that are derived from one or more theories
-law: a universal statement of the nature of things that allows reliable predictions of
future events
-theory: a general statement about the relation between two or more variables
Law versus Theory
-law: comprehensive, fundamental statement
about reality
-theory: boundary conditions; more than one
theory may be true
induction - Answers- -Make many observations under controlled conditions to arrive at
a general statement about how things work
-Bottom up
-Data driven
-Reason from specific instances to
What are the different "ways of knowing" that people have used throughout history? -
Answers- -intuition: relying on common sense as a means of knowing about the world
-authority: relying on a knowledgeable person or group as a means of knowing about
the world
-logic: reasoning conducted or assessed according to strict principles of validity
-observation (Empiricism): Making observations is the best way to figure out the world
-assumptions and complexity:
How do philosophical and psychological approaches to knowledge differ from
metaphysical
approaches to knowledge? - Answers- -metaphysical systems:
1. Supernatural authority: behavior explained by nonphysical force "magic." Violates
established physical laws.
2. animism: natural phenomenon are alive and influence behavior
2. astrology: Human behavior is determined by the activity of celestial bodies
4. Mythology and Religion: Human behavior is determined by nonphysical
forces (e.g., deities); More sophisticated than animism
-philosophy: Study of knowledge, behavior, and
the nature of reality
1. Rationalism: Knowledge exists a
priori, independent of human
experience
2. Empiricism
How are laws, theories and hypotheses different from each other? - Answers- -
hypothesis: predictions about specific events that are derived from one or more theories
-law: a universal statement of the nature of things that allows reliable predictions of
future events
-theory: a general statement about the relation between two or more variables
Law versus Theory
-law: comprehensive, fundamental statement
about reality
-theory: boundary conditions; more than one
theory may be true
induction - Answers- -Make many observations under controlled conditions to arrive at
a general statement about how things work
-Bottom up
-Data driven
-Reason from specific instances to
