Psychology is a critical aspect of human life and scientific knowledge is normally used to verify the authenticity of the truth. A critical analysis of the Folk Wisdom: Was your grandmother right? Gives insightful knowledge in the examination and analysis of the impact of psychology in scientific testing. The scientific methods which are normally used in this study employ the concept of emotions, behavior, thinking, type and mode of conversation to arrive at a generalized conclusion. In this case, it is prudent to acknowledge that scientific studies support folklore. For instance, when one say that âabsence make the heart grow fonderâ (James, 2007). This statement can scientifically be examined and the correlation of the truth be got.
âCorrelational studies are used to look for relationships between variablesâ (James, 2007). âThere are three possible results of a correlational study: a positive correlation, a negative correlation, and no correlationâ (James, 2007). The correlation coefficient is a measure of correlation strength and can range from â1.00 to +1.00.
In a positive Correlations, âBoth variables increase or decrease at the same time and a correlation coefficient close to +1.00 indicates a strong positive correlationâ (James, 2007).âNegative Correlations: Indicates that as the amount of one variable increases, the other decreases (James, 2007). In a situation where there is No Correlation it simply signifies that there is no relationship between the two variables under study.
While correlational studies can suggest that there is a relationship between two variables, it is difficult to show whether any single variable has got a change on the other.. In other words, correlation does not equal causation. For example, a âcorrelational study might suggest that there is a relationship between academic success and self-esteem, but it cannot show if academic success increases or decreases self-esteemâ (Weiten, 2008). âOther variables might be significant, such as social relationships, cognitive abilities, personality and socio-economic statusâ (Weiten, 2008).
Below are hypothetical figures showing correlation
N=5
âx=334
ây=20.1
âxy=1356.6
âx2=22498
ây2 = 82.01
The problem of deception in social psychological experiments
Psychology is a crucial discipline in human life and towards this, all the generalization should be scientifically tested so as to make the whole psychological study authentic. The application of scientific research is important since it shades light and drives away deception which might blur the truth in any study.
Deception is bad in psychology since it creates a block of misunderstanding of ideas in any given study. In addition, it provides a wrong impression of a given circumstance. However, some psychologist ague that deception brings an anxiety which is a great impetus to psychological study and in turn extends the horizon of scientific research in the subject of psychology.
References
James, W. (2007).The Principles of Psychology. New York: Cosimo, Inc.,
Weiten, W. (2008).Psychology: Themes and Variations. New York: Cengage Learning