Answer to Question 1
b
Answer to Question 2
Common sense may seem to explain many social psychological findings after the fact.
The problem is distinguishing commonsense fact from commonsense myth. After all,
for many commonsense notions, there is an equally sensible sounding notion that says
the opposite. Is it Birds of a feather flock together or Opposites attract? Is it Two
heads are better than one or Too many cooks spoil the broth? Which are correct?
We have no reliable way to answer such questions
through common sense or intuition alone.
Social psychology, unlike common sense, uses the scientific method to put its theories
to the test. How it does so will be discussed in greater detail in the next chapter. But
before we leave this section, one word of caution: Those four findings listed above?
They are all false. Although there may be sensible reasons to believe each of the
statements to be true, research indicates otherwise. Therein lies another problem with
relying on common sense: Despite offering very compelling predictions and
explanations, it is sometimes wildly inaccurate. And even when it is not completely
wrong, common sense can be misleading in its simplicity. Often there is no simple
answer to a question such as Does absence make the heart grow fonder? In reality,
the answer is more complex than common sense would suggest, and social
psychological research reveals how such an answer depends on a variety of factors.
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Reduce Risk of Unintentional Injury
GDP per Capita by Country Group, 1820–2008
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