Chapter 1 - How Do We Know? Flashcards
What are the 3 ideal roles of the Scientist Practitioner model?
- Need to be intelligent & discerning consumers of new research (need to be able to evaluate evidence).
- Evaluates their own activities.
- Researchers who produce new data from their own settings.
What is the Scientist Practitioner model?
The idea that professional psychologists should be knowledgeable in both research and clinical practice.
What are the four canons of science.
- Determinism
- Empiricism
- Parsimony
- Testability
4 canons of science;
Define ‘determinism’.
The idea that the universe is orderly - That all events have meaningful, systematic causes.
4 canons of science;
Define ‘empiricism’
An approach to understanding the world that involves collecting data or making observations.
4 canons of science;
Define ‘parsimony’
The idea that, all else being equal, one should prefer simple theories or explanations over complex ones.
4 canons of science;
Define ‘Testability’
The idea that scientific theories should be confirmable or disconfirmable using currently available research techniques.
(The assumption that scientific theories should be testable.
Define school of thought term ‘logical positivism’
Belief that science should be based solely on things that can be observed with absolute certainty.
Many also believe that the way to go about testing scientific theories and hypotheses is the actively try to disconfirm them.
Define a school of thought term ‘Operationalisation’
Operational definitions are definitions of theoretical constructs that are stated in terms of concrete, observable procedures.
Connect unobservable traits or experiences to things that can be observed.
What are the four ‘sources of knowledge’ in psychology?
- Observation
- Logic
- Intuition
- Authority
Define ‘inference’
Something that is inferred.
To derive from reasoning.
To hint, imply, suggest.
Define ‘positivism’
Based on only observations that can be made with absolute certainty.
Define ‘empiricism’
The idea that the best way to learn about the world is to make observations.
Empirical data = evidence based data
Define Canons.
Fundamental principles that are more or less accepted on faith.
Define ‘Falsifiability’
The idea that scientists should step beyond putting their theories to some kind of test by actively seeking out tests that could prove their theories wrong.
