How a Career in Science Affects Everyday Thinking

A career in science is a mindset as well as a career path. A career in science can involve many different fields, responsibilities, or job titles but involves a systematic way of thinking about the world.

A scientific approach to the world involves constantly questioning and evaluating information. As a psychologist (scientist of thought and behaviour) there are a few key ways of thinking in my career that carry over into my everyday life:

Critically evaluating information Understanding and investigating the source of information Scientific uncertainty and openness to information Critically evaluating information involves constant questioning of any information. In science, this means comparing new information with old information from a variety of sources and perspectives. In everyday life new information is everywhere. Advertising, media, the internet and television are all sources of different information.

Critically evaluating this information means constantly questioning all these sources of information and comparing them with other sources. For example: Are the claims in this advert true? Are they consistent with what I know? This leads to:

Understanding and investigating the source of information means understanding the motivations and goals of those providing the information. In psychology this could be motivations of research participants or other scientist’s research.

In everyday life the translates into understanding why people are presenting information. For example, advertisers present certain types of information to sell a product or politicians present information in certain ways to convince people to support a message or a policy. This information can be basically true. Yet, context and the motivation can affect the way information is presented or information that is omitted. This leads to:

Scientific uncertainty and openness to new information requires constantly questioning oneself and searching for other possibilities. In science this is necessary to continue to advance knowledge. Good science requires a thorough and effective search for information that has been missed, is contradictory or is not yet known.

This is very important for everyday life and functioning well in society. It’s easy to find a good answer, to be happy with it, and stop looking for new information. But it’s always important to listen to new information, especially information that contradicts what we [think] we already know, and be open to being wrong. This goes for favourite brands or products; political parties or ideas; and science.

A career in science means constantly thinking about these ways of understanding and evaluating information.


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