Psychology 2e

A psychological explanation needs observable consequences and a way to distinguish alternatives.

How to study this source

• How do we test an explanation of behaviour?

  coreChapter 1 overview and Chapter 2 on research methods

  A psychological explanation needs observable consequences and a way to distinguish alternatives.

• How can we tell whether a study method helps recall?

  coreChapter 8, Memory; encoding, storage and retrieval

  A comparison needs similar conditions and a defined outcome.

• How do expectations affect what we perceive?

  coreChapter 5, Sensation and Perception; overview and a perceptual organisation example

  Perceptual hypotheses can be tested by changing both evidence and expectations.

• What can a health study actually establish?

  corePsychology 2e, Chapter 2, research methods and research ethics

  Study design, comparison groups and measured outcomes constrain a health claim.

Ideas and questions

Read background definitions when a term blocks the argument. Then return to the source and reconstruct its claim in your own words.

Read alongside, read against