Chapter 1 Supplemental Materials

Chapter 1 Supplemental Materials Vocabulary Terms 1. Overgeneralization a. Statement that goes far beyond what can be justified based on the data or empirical observations that one has. 2. Selective observation a. Process of examination in a way that reinforces preexisting thinking rather than in a neutral and balanced manner. 3. Premature closure a. Act of making a judgment or reaching a decision and ending an investigation before gathering the amount or depth of evidence required by scientific standards. 4. Halo effect a. Occurrence that allows the prior reputation of persons, places, or things to color one’s evaluations rather than evaluating all in a neutral, equal manner. 5. False consensus a. A tendency to project one’s way of thinking onto other people. In other words, the person assumes that everyone else thinks like he or she does. 6. Social theory a. A system of interconnected ideas that condenses and organizes the knowledge about the social world and explains how it works. 7. Data a. Numerical (quantitative) and non‐numerical (qualitative) information and evidence that have been carefully gathered according to rules or established procedures. 8. Empirical a. Description of what we can observe and experience directly through human senses (e.g., touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste) or indirectly using techniques that extend the senses. 9. Pseudoscience a. A body of ideas or information clothed in the jargon and outward appearance of science that seeks to win acceptance but that was not created with the systematic rigor or standards required of the scientific method. 10. Junk science a. A public relations term used to criticize scientific research even if it is conducted properly that produces findings that an advocacy group opposes. 11. Innumeracy a. The lack of quantitative literacy; not having an ability to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts. 12. Scientific literacy a. The capacity to understand and apply scientific knowledge, concepts, principles, and theories to solve problems and make decisions based on scientific reasoning and to interact in a way that reflects the core values of the scientific community. 13. Scientific community a. A collection of people who share a system of attitudes, beliefs, and rules that sustains the production and advance of scientific knowledge. 14. Norms of the scientific community a. Informal rules, principles, and values that govern the way scientists conduct their research. 15. Scholarly journal article a. An article in a specialized publication that has members of the scientific community as its primary audience; a means to disseminate new ideas and findings within the scientific community. 16. Blind review a. A process of judging the merits of a research report in which the peer researchers do not know the identity of the researcher, and the researcher does not know the identity of the evaluators in advance.