This week has certainly been adventurous! On Monday afternoon, I was backing our car up our driveway, and an mound of packed snow grabbed the bumper of the car and nearly yanked it off. I didn't notice this, and my husband came home and thought that I had hit something. He set it back on, but it can be easily thrown off again. Last night, it snowed about a foot, and we live in a residential area ad our street is literally never plowed. If I had attempted to drive out of the drive way, I would have knocked the bumper off, and then run it over. I thought I'd try to avoid that.
I copied the notes from a friend. I missed the lecture on being a cautious consumer of information about educational psychology. I find that these tips can be used in all areas of life, though. I am trying to be a wise consumer of all information, and these tips will help me out.
I. Be cautious of popular media reports.
I don't believe that there is such thing as an objective media report. Each person has interpreted the story in a particular way, and they will each put a little spin on it in order to manipulate the readers. I don't think that this is always done intentionally, but I believe that it always the case. I believe this is true concerning educational psychology, as well as everything else.
II. Avoid drawing conclusions about individual needs based on group research.
You can't look at a study done on a group of people and expect that every person in that study responded to it well. There are always a few that it doesn't effect.
III. Recognize how easy it is to overgeneralize about a small or clinical sample.
I can understand how easy it would be to look at a small group, take a result there and assume that it is going to be as effective everywhere else. I would call that wishful thinking. If you are supportive of a certain study, then you hope that it will be effective everywhere, and it is easier for those people to overgeneralize.
IV. Be aware that a single study is not usually the defining word.
This is quite obvious. If a study has been done, the chances are quite slim that the exact same results can be found anywhere else. There will always be variation in the study groups, the methods, and the evaluation of the results.
V. Always consider the source of information, and evaluate it's credibility.
Humans lack the ability to write objectively. Whether they intend to or not, they view things with a certain lens, and therefore report with a biased perspective. They will expound on certain aspects while neglecting others. Consumers have to consider this as they read reports on really anything. What news paper or website has published this article? What is the background of the writer? For instance, I wouldn't read an article on the Green peace website and take it as complete truth. I would first investigate, gather facts from other sources and then come to a conclusion concerning it's credibility.
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