38 CHAPTER 1
Practice Quiz How much do you remember?
- What is the first guideline for doing research with people?
a. Participants have to give informed consent.
b. Deception cannot be used in any studies with human beings.
c. The rights and well-being of the participants must come first.
d. Data must remain confidential. - What happens when the results of a study create an undesirable
outcome for the participant?
a. The participants signed permission forms and must take their
chances.
b. The researcher must find some way of helping the participant
deal with the negative impact.
c. The participant is institutionalized for further study.
d. The researcher simply adds an addendum to the report of the
study’s results.
3. What is the biggest reason we use animals in research?
a. Animals have simple behavior that makes it easy to see changes.
b. Animals don’t live as long as humans.
c. We can do things to animals that we can’t do to people.
d. Animals are easier to control.
4. Which of the following is an ethical consideration when using ani-
mals in research?
a. Avoiding exposing them to unnecessary pain.
b. Animals cannot be killed during the course of an experiment.
c. Animals must not experience any pain during an experiment.
d. There are no ethical considerations when using animals in
research.
Applying Psychology to Everyday Life
Thinking Critically About Critical Thinking
- 12 Recall the basic criteria for critical thinking that people can use in
their everyday lives.
What good is all this focus on science and research going to
do for me? I live in the real world, not a laboratory.The real world is full of opportunities for scientific thinking. Think about all the commer-
cials on television for miracle weight loss, hair restoration, or herbal remedies for arthritis,
depression, and a whole host of physical and mental problems. Wouldn’t it be nice to
know how many of these claims people should believe? Wouldn’t you like to know how to
evaluate statements like these and possibly save yourself some time, effort, and money?
That’s exactly the kind of “real-world” problem that critical thinking can help sort out.
Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments (Beyer, 1995). The word rea-
soned means that people’s judgments should be logical and well thought out. Critical think-
ing also includes the ability to ask and seek answers for critical questions at the right time
(Browne & Keeley, 2009). (A relevant example of a critical question might be, “Is someone
paying you to do this research, and is this a conflict of interest?” or “Do you have any good
evidence for your assertions, or are you just giving your opinion?”) Critical thinking can also
help us avoid false beliefs that may lead to poor decisions or even prove dangerous to our
mental and physical health.
While the word critical is often viewed as meaning “negative,” that is not the use of this
term here. Instead, it’s more related to the word criteria,* as in thinking that meets certain
high criteria or standards (Nosich, 2008). There are four basic criteria for critical thinking
that people should remember when faced with statements about the world around them
(Browne & Keeley, 2009; Gill, 1991; Shore, 1990):- There are very few “truths” that do not need to be subjected to testing.
Although people may accept religious beliefs and personal values on faith, everything
else in life needs to have supporting evidence. Questions that can be investigated
* criteria: standards on which a judgment or decision may be based.critical thinking
making reasoned judgments about
claims