Scientic Attitude and Critical Thinking

Question: What is the scientific attitude and why is it important for critical thinking?

The scientific attitude is to be skeptical about claims and theories, but at the same time, it is also to be open-minded. Humility is also part of the scientific attitude, which means that if a person’s idea is proven wrong, he or she is ready to accept the fact. Critical thinking is about not accepting conclusions without having proofs and examining assumptions until there is evidence, which involves the scientific attitude in the making.

Best of the Century

1. What have been the major changes in psychotherapy this century?

There are two major changes in psychotherapy in this century; one is the spread of psychotherapy to the mass of people, and another one is the efficiency of the therapies and medication. Nowadays, psychotherapy is helping millions of people through various media. Individual and group therapies are held, including workshops and seminars, and psychotherapy has reached different areas such as in education and business system. There are also products such as self-help books and computer-assisted materials that can be bought from local stores. Therapists have learned to blend many theories and practices together to suit their perspectives and patients, and with the help of advancing study of disorders, proper and improved medication can be given out.


2. Twenty breakthroughs are identified. Which 5 do you think are the most important? Justify your answer. Identify what perspective is being taken by the psychologist.

The first breakthrough, by Harry F. Harlow in 1973, is taken by the social-cultural perspective. Based on his research, Harlow shows that males and females use different approaches to solve problems. This finding is important because it helps people of different gender understand each other’s actions more and increases the health of their relationships.

The second breakthrough, by Ellen Langer—a neuroscience psychologist—in 1982, shows that just by doing a simple task such as thinking, a person can live a longer and healthier life. This discovery is significance because it can influence the staff in nursing home to give the elderly simple tasks to do; these simple tasks not only decrease the elder’s boredom, but they also lead the elder into a longer and more productive life.

The discovery of Erik Erikson in 1983 is the third breakthrough, which supports the developmental perspective. He suggests that intellectual and emotional development occurs throughout a person’s life. This finding implies that people never stop learning even if they are 70 years of age, which means that our intelligence increases every single day.

Judith Rodin’s research in 1984 is the fourth breakthrough of the century. It shows that certain hormones can trigger certain actions or feelings in people. By using the neuroscience perspective, this discovery can help people with obesity to control their food obsessions or out-of-control people because of excessive adrenaline in their system.

The fifth breakthrough by Elizabeth F. Loftus in 1984 is from the cognitive perspective. Her work shows that eyewitness testimony in courts is not reliable and that false memories can be easily put into both children and adults. This discovery greatly affects how much jurors should believe eyewitnesses in criminal court because in a court, many lives are on the line and one decision can change everything.

Big Issue

Psychologists have different perspectives on what drives people to do the things they do, and some of the perspectives contradict each other such as Rationality vs. Irrationality, Stability vs. Change, and Nature vs. Nurture. From the results of a survey I’ve done, I’ve found out that I support irrationality more than rationality. Personally, I do believe that for most of the time, people don’t understand themselves and their actions. For Stability vs. Change, my result confirms that I believe that people can change. Time passes by and people change along with it; people don’t stay the same throughout their lives. Experiences and environments change them.

Nature vs. Nurture is another big contradiction. Before doing the survey, I believed that I support nurture more than nature and the result proves that I do actually support it. The genes and traits can be inherited from parents, but personality can’t be. Personalities and attitudes come from the way people are raised, the experiences they face, and their own personal opinions towards them.

Why do we do the things that we do?

All of our actions can't come from only one factor in our lives. I think that there are many motives that push us into doing something. We can't say that all of our actions come from our genetics which we have no choice over because I believe that nurture and experiences play a bigger part in a person's life than nature. I think that how we are raised, what obstacles we encounter, or what we desire can drive us into doing something more than the genes in us. Our friends and parents also play a significant part behind what we do and how we act because usually, their approval means a lot in our lives. The environment, circumstances, and people around us have the power to influence us to carry out an action that sometimes even surprises ourselves.

Why AP Psychology?

People want others to understand them while sometimes they can’t understand themselves; therefore I believe that to understand and be in controlled of one’s actions is one of the greatest achievements a person can accomplish. There were so many times in my life when I looked back and asked myself, “Why did I that for?” I could not understand the things or the reasons why I’ve done some of the things I’ve done, but with the studying of Psychology, I believe that it can help me understand my present and future actions towards others more.