Prompt
Choose a psychological claim about which you are skeptical. In thinking about psychological claims, consider topics such as astrology, ESP, tarot card readings, and ghost hunting. People believe in many psychological claims regardless of scientific findings.
Review the rubric for content expectations for this assignment and every assignment. Instructors adhere to the grading guidelines and rubric.
Use the critical elements of the rubric as headings within your paper (an excellent way to check that you meet the criteria):
State your chosen psychological claim about which you are skeptical.
Create a research question about your chosen claim.
Provide the application of the scientific method to test your research question.
Compare the application of the scientific method to other methods mentioned in this module.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Skeptical Examination of Tarot Card Readings
State Your Chosen Psychological Claim About Which You Are Skeptical
One psychological claim that raises skepticism for me is the efficacy of tarot card readings as a tool for providing insight into an individual’s future or personal circumstances. Many individuals believe that tarot cards can reveal hidden information, guide decision-making, and predict future events. However, there is little empirical evidence to support these claims, leading me to question their validity and psychological impact.
Create a Research Question About Your Chosen Claim
A pertinent research question related to tarot card readings could be: “Do tarot card readings provide accurate insights or predictions about individuals’ lives compared to random chance?” This question seeks to investigate whether there is any real predictive power in tarot readings or if they are merely coincidental.
Provide the Application of the Scientific Method to Test Your Research Question
To test the research question using the scientific method, the following steps can be applied:
1. Observation: Anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals often claim that tarot card readings have accurately predicted aspects of their future or provided meaningful insights.
2. Hypothesis: Tarot card readings do not provide accurate predictions or insights beyond what could be expected by chance alone.
3. Experimentation:
– Participants: Recruit a diverse group of individuals who believe in tarot card readings.
– Procedure: Randomly assign participants to two groups. One group will receive a tarot card reading tailored to their personal circumstances, while the other group will receive a randomly generated reading with no connection to their lives.
– Data Collection: After the readings, participants will be asked to evaluate the accuracy and relevance of the insights gained from their readings on a scale of 1 to 10. Additionally, participants will be asked if they feel the readings influenced their decision-making.
4. Analysis: Compare the ratings of accuracy and relevance between both groups using statistical analysis (e.g., t-tests) to assess if there is a significant difference between the personalized readings and the randomly generated readings.
5. Conclusion: Based on the analysis results, determine whether the hypothesis is supported or rejected. If the tarot card readings do not show significantly higher accuracy than random chance, it would suggest that tarot card readings lack predictive validity.
Compare the Application of the Scientific Method to Other Methods Mentioned in This Module
The scientific method is distinct from other methods of inquiry often associated with psychological claims, such as anecdotal evidence, faith-based beliefs, and pseudoscience.
– Anecdotal Evidence: Many proponents of tarot card readings rely on personal stories or testimonials as proof of its effectiveness. While these narratives can be compelling, they lack systematic investigation and do not account for cognitive biases such as confirmation bias, where individuals remember successful predictions while forgetting inaccurate ones.
– Faith-Based Beliefs: Belief in tarot cards often stems from cultural or spiritual traditions rather than empirical evidence. While these beliefs can provide individuals with comfort or guidance, they do not adhere to rigorous standards of scientific validation.
– Pseudoscience: Claims surrounding tarot card readings often fall into the realm of pseudoscience, where assertions are made without empirical support or adherence to the scientific method. Unlike scientific inquiry, these claims may use vague language and rely on the illusion of credibility without systematic testing.
In contrast, the scientific method emphasizes objectivity, systematic observation, and reproducibility. It allows for controlled experimentation and data analysis to draw conclusions based on evidence rather than subjective belief. Ultimately, applying the scientific method to investigate tarot card readings can yield insights into their true efficacy, guiding individuals toward more evidence-based decision-making practices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, skepticism towards psychological claims like tarot card readings can be grounded in the application of the scientific method. By posing a research question and systematically testing it through experimentation and analysis, we can gain a clearer understanding of whether such practices hold any real value or are simply products of belief without empirical foundation.
