by
Lisa D. Hager
Psychology Department
Spring Hill College
“Hey, Bill, what are you listening to?” asked Fred.
“I’m listening to these CDs of classical music that I bought. They’re supposed to help me concentrate more and become more creative,” answered Bill.
Fred frowned. “How can listening to classical music do all of that? Where did you hear about this?”
“Well, I was flipping through this magazine at my girlfriend’s house and I saw this ad where you could buy these CDs that are supposed to stimulate the right side of your brain and improve your ability to concentrate and stuff,” said Bill.
“And how much did you pay for these CDs?”
“Just $45, and there’s a money back guarantee if they don’t work. In the ad it said that some researchers found that listening to this music made people do better on different mental tests and that it made your brain release these chemicals that made you feel better,” Bill said excitedly.
Fred still felt a little skeptical about the power of Bill’s new CDs. “So, what else did the ad say?”
“All kinds of cool things. Like, when they played the music for these cows, they gave more milk, and immigrants who were learning English learned faster when they listened to the music, and, this one is really cool, when they played the music next to this yeast, it made better sake,” said Bill.
Fred laughed. “So, have you been giving more milk or what?”
“Hey, don’t make fun of me. I haven’t been doing so great in some of my college classes so I figured I might as well give it a chance,” Bill answered. “Here, you can check it out for yourself on this website at http://www.springhillmedia.com/b.php?a=DCAMPBELL.
“You know, this might just be the kind of thing I could do for my project in my research methods class. Our professor is encouraging us to be more skeptical about claims just like this one. We’ve been talking about something called the principle of falsifiability,” Fred said.
“The principle of what-ability?” asked Bill.
“The principle of falsifiability. It’s a scientific term, which basically says that when we study something, like whether these CDs improve concentration and creativity, we have to do it in a way that will allow us to confirm whether the prediction is false. So, if people study this effect using the scientific method and they don’t find that the CDs improve concentration and creativity, then we have to accept that there’s no truth to the claim being made by the person who produced them,” replied Fred.
“Well, that makes sense to me. You know, I think I want to help you with this study. I already have the CDs, so maybe it would be kind of cool to be part of a scientific study. What do we do next?” asked Bill.
Fred and Bill need to figure out how they can determine if listening to classical music really will produce the kind of effects that the product’s maker claims. Fred and Bill decide to go visit Fred’s psychology professor to see what she thinks about their study idea.
Answer the following questions based on Bill’s description of the advertisement and the information on the website:
| Characteristics of a non-scientific, “everyday” approach to experience | Characteristics of a scientific approach to experience | |
|---|---|---|
| Observation: | Casual, uncontrolled | Systematic, controlled |
| Reporting: | Biased, subjective | Unbiased, objective |
| Concepts: | Ambiguous, with surplus meanings | Clear definitions, operational specificity |
| Instruments: | Inaccurate, imprecise | Accurate, precise |
| Measurements: | Not valid or reliable | Valid, reliable |
| Hypotheses: | Untestable | Testable |
| Attitude: | Uncritical, accepting | Critical, skeptical |
| General Approach: | Intuitive | Empirical |
| Adapted from Shaughnessy, J.B., E.B. Zechmeister, and J.S. Zechmeister. Research Methods in Psychology, 6th ed., 2003. New York: McGraw-Hill. | ||
Date Posted: 03/16/04 nas
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