Chapter 1 infographic image description

The title of the infographic is, Thinking Critically About: The Scientific Attitude

Under the title the text reads, Three basic attitudes helped make modern science possible.

The info graphic is divided into three panels. The column headers of the panels read as follows: 1. Curiosity; 2. Skepticism; and 3. Humility. The information in each panel reads as follows:

1. Curiosity: Does it work? When put to the test, can its predictions be confirmed? An illustration shows a woman wearing a lab coat with a clipboard in her hand. Two thought bubbles rise from her head. The first bubble shows a woman touching her head and the head of a man next to her. The corresponding text reads, can some people read minds? The answer at the bottom of the panel reads, No one has yet been able to demonstrate extrasensory mind-reading. The second thought bubble shows a boy who looks stressed. The corresponding text reads, are stress levels related to health and well-being? The answer at the bottom of the panel reads, many studies have found that higher stress relates to poorer health.
2. Skepticism: What do you mean? How do you know? Sifting reality from fantasy requires a healthy skepticism – an attitude that is not cynical (doubting everything), but also not gullible (believing everything). An illustration shows a man with slumped shoulders looking at the ground. The corresponding text reads, do our facial expressions and body postures affect how we actually feel? The answer at the bottom of the panel reads, our facial expressions and body postures can affect how we feel. Another illustration shows a woman pushing her child on a swing and the corresponding text reads, do parental behaviors determine children’s sexual orientation-or not? The answer at the bottom of the panel reads, there is not a relationship between parental behaviors and their children’s sexual orientation.
3. Humility: That was unexpected! Let’s explore further. Researchers must be willing to be surprised and follow new ideas. People and other animals don’t always behave as our ideas and beliefs would predict. An illustration shows a woman in a lab coat holding a clipboard. Another illustration shows a mouse in a conditioning chamber pressing a lever. The corresponding text reads, one of the psychology’s mottos: The rat is always right.