Chapter 2 - "Research in Psychology: Objectives and Ideals" Flashcards
empirical method
A procedure for obtaining information on the basis of observation.
scientific method
A procedure for acquiring and testing knowledge through systematic observation or experimentation (e.g. through use of empirical methods).
causal relationship
An association between two or more things, such that one causes the other.
circular argument
An argument in which the thing to be explained is presented as the explanation (e.g. where memory ability is used to explain memory performance.
falsification
The process of rejecting conclusions and theories on the basis of evidence that is inconsistent with them. A commitment to carrying out research with this objective is referred to as ‘falsificationism’.
hypothesis
Formally, a statement about the causal relationship between particular phenomena (i.e. in the form ‘A causes B’). This is usually derived from a particular theory and is designed to be tested in research. In statistics and in informal usage, a hypothesis can also be a statement of the expected results of a study.
induction
The process drawing conclusions and developing theories on the basis of accumulated observations.
redescription
The process and outcome of attempts to explain an empirical finding by restating that finding (e.g. where fear of confined spaces is used to explain claustrophobia).
refutation
Another word for falsification.
reification
Treating an abstraction as if it were a real concrete thing. In psychology this refers to the process and outcome of treating an empirical finding as if it were the straightforward expression of an underlying psychological process (e.g. seeing performance on intelligence tests as the expression of intelligence).
theory
A system of explanation used to make sense of, and integrate, a number of empirical findings. A theory can vary in specificity from a broad explanatory framework compromising abstract principles to a set of concrete hypotheses about particular structures and mechanisms.
open access policy
The process of making aspects of the research process (e.g. materials, data, research publication) as accessible to other researcher and interested parties as is feasibly possible.
open science movement
A approach to science which is based on a desire to make all aspects of the research process as accessible and as open to scrutiny as possible.
parsimony
The goal of accounting for the maximum number of empirical findings in terms of the smallest number of theoretical principles. The most parsimonious theory is the one that accounts for the most findings using the fewest principles.
preregistration
The process whereby researchers report and record their research plans before conducting their research. This may be as straightforward as logging the study and its hypotheses on a website or as elaborate as writing (and publishing) the entire Introduction and Method of a paper before you collect and then following exactly the steps set out in the (preregistered) methodology.
