THE PLACE OF VALUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH A. THE ISSUE OF VALUE...

5. The Place of Values in Psychological Research a. The issue of values in psychological research (the standards for judging what is worthwhile and desirable) is two-sided. On the one side, psychologists believe that psychology should be value free and morally neutral. b. On the other side, people believe that because psychologists are humans, they cannot be value free. VI. Thinking Critically About Psychological Research A. Not all psychological information that is presented to the public comes from professionals with appropriate credentials. The media can present to the public information that may have been misinterpreted or taken out of context. B. It is important for individuals to avoid overgeneralizing conclusions that are based on little information. C. Just as we cannot generalize from a small group of people to all people, consumers of psychological research must resist the temptation to apply all conclusions about groups to an individual. There is a distinguished difference between group needs and individual needs that must be accounted for in our understanding of psychological research. D. This unclear distinction is not entirely the media’s fault. Researchers often fail to examine the overlap in the data on the groups they are comparing, and they look for only the differences. E. Consumers must look for other evidence of research conclusions in different studies or experiments. F. Drawing conclusions from correlations is a common mistake that consumers of psychological research make. G. Consider the source of the information. Seek out respected journals, newspapers, and publications that have reputable, qualified researchers producing the material. Ultimately, the consumer is responsible for finding the details behind the reported findings and for analyzing the study’s credibility

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VII. The Scientific Method and Health and Wellness A. The Power of Expressive Writing to Enhance Health and Wellness