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Research in Psychology

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Chapter 2: Research in Psychology
Francine Shapiro/Critical Thinking
Tested if eye movements have caused the change in her emotions
During and after these eye movement sessions, their reactions to unpleasant thoughts faded away
Their emotional flashbacks decreased dramatically
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: EMDR
Critical Thinking: The process of assessing claims and making judgements on the basis of well supported evidence
What am I being asked to believe or accept?- If EMDR reduces or eliminates anxiety related problems
What evidence is available to support the assertion?- Experienced a reduction in her own emotional distress following certain kinds of eye movements
Are there alternative ways of interpreting the evidence?- Dramatic effects might not have been due to EMDR but to people’s desire to overcome their problems or perhaps their desire to prove her right
The ruling out process leads to the next step in critical thinking: conducting scientific research
What additional evidence would help to evaluate the alternatives?- The ideal method for collecting further evidence would be to identify three groups of people with anxiety- related problems who were alike in every way except for the anxiety treatment they received
What conclusions are most reasonable?- The research evidence collected so far hasn’t yet ruled out alternative explanations for the effects of EMDR
Only reasonable conclusions
EMDR remains a controversial treatment
It seems to have an impact on some clients
Further research is needed in order to understand it
Critical Thinking helps by prompting you to do some research on each of your options
For psychologists: Researching means using scientific methods to gather information about behavior and mental processes
Critical Thinking and Scientific Research
Psychologists clarify their questions about behavior and mental

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