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Thinking Critically With Psychological Science

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Hoping to satisfy their curiosity about people and to remedy their own woes, millions turn to “psychology.” They listen to talk-radio counseling. They read articles on psychic powers. They attend stop-smoking hypnosis seminars. They immerse themselves in self-help websites and books on the meaning of dreams, the path to ecstatic love, and the roots of personal happiness.

Others, intrigued by claims of psychological truth, wonder: How does parenting shape children’s personalities? Are first-born children more driven? Do dreams have deep meaning? Does psychotherapy heal?

In working with such questions, how can we separate uninformed opinions from examined conclusions? How can we best use psychology to understand why people think, feel, and act as they do? In Modules 2 through 4 we explore how psychological science can help you think critically and consider psychology’s research methods and ways of interpreting data.