• 1. Psychology Is Alive and Well (and Doing Fine Among the Sciences)  The Freud ProblemThe Diversity of Modern PsychologyImplications of DiversityUnity in ScienceWhat, Then, Is Science?Systematic EmpiricismPublicly Verifiable Knowledge: Replication and Peer ReviewEmpirically Solvable Problems: Scientists’ Search for Testable TheoriesPsychology and Folk Wisdom: The Problem with “Common Sense”Psychology as a Young ScienceSummary    2. Falsifiability: How to Foil Little Green Men in the Head  Theories and the Falsifiability CriterionThe Theory of Knocking RhythmsFreud and FalsifiabilityThe Little Green MenNot All Confirmations Are EqualFalsifiability and Folk WisdomThe Freedom to Admit a MistakeThoughts Are CheapErrors in Science: Getting Closer to the TruthSummary  3. Operationism and Essentialism: “But, Doctor, What Does It Really Mean?”  Why Scientists Are Not EssentialistsEssentialists Like to Argue About the Meaning of WordsOperationists Link Concepts to Observable EventsReliability and ValidityDirect and Indirect Operational DefinitionsScientific Concepts EvolveOperational Definitions in PsychologyOperationism as a Humanizing ForceEssentialist Questions and the Misunderstanding of PsychologyOperationism and the Phrasing of Psychological QuestionsSummary    4. Testimonials and Case Study Evidence: Placebo Effects and the Amazing Randi  The Place of the Case StudyWhy Testimonials Are Worthless: Placebo EffectsThe “Vividness” ProblemThe Overwhelming Impact of the Single CaseThe Amazing Randi: Fighting Fire with FireTestimonials Open the Door to PseudoscienceSummary    5. Correlation and Causation: Birth Control by the Toaster Method  The Third-Variable Problem: Goldberger and PellagraWhy Goldberger’s Evidence Was BetterThe Directionality ProblemSelection BiasSummary    6. Getting Things Under Control: The Case of Clever Hans  Snow and CholeraComparison, Control, and ManipulationRandom Assignment in Conjunction with Manipulation Defines the True ExperimentThe Importance of Control GroupsThe Case of Clever Hans, the Wonder HorseClever Hans in the 1990sPrying Variables Apart: Special ConditionsIntuitive PhysicsIntuitive PsychologySummary    7. “But It’s Not Real Life!”: The “Artificiality” Criticism and Psychology  Why Natural Isn’t Always NecessaryThe “Random Sample” ConfusionThe Random Assignment Versus Random Sample DistinctionTheory-Driven Research Versus Direct ApplicationsApplications of Psychological TheoryThe “College Sophomore” ProblemThe Real-Life and College Sophomore Problems in PerspectiveSummary    8. Avoiding the Einstein Syndrome: The Importance of Converging Evidence  The Connectivity PrincipleA Consumer’s Rule: Beware of Violations of ConnectivityThe “Great-Leap” Model Versus the Gradual-Synthesis ModelConverging Evidence: Progress Despite FlawsConverging Evidence in PsychologyScientific Conse

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