Features of a science Flashcards
obectivity
all sources of personal bias are minimised so as not to distort or influence the research process
empirical method
scientific approaches that are based on the gathering of evidence through direct observation and experience
Falsifiability
the principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being proved false
theory construction
the process of developing an explanation for the causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence and then organising this into a coherent theory
hypothesis testing
a key feature of a theory is that it should produce statements which can then be tested. Only this way can a theory be falsified
Paradigm
a set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline
Paradigm shift
the result of a scientific revolution when there is a significant change in the dominant unifying theory within a scientific discipline
what did Kuhn suggest?
that what distinguishes scientific discipline from non-scientific discipline is a shared set of assumptions and methods → a paradigm
What do social sciences lack?
a universally accepted paradigm and are probably seen as distinct from natural sciences like biology
How are natural sciences characterised by?
having a large number of principles at their core such as the theory of evolution
Why doesn’t psychology qualify as a science?
Psychology has too much internal disagreements and conflicting approaches
When does Kuhn say that there is a scientific revolution?
when progress within an established science occurs
What can a scientific revolution lead to?
researchers begin to question the accepted paradigm, which then leads to a paradigm shift as there is too much contradictory information to ignore.
a theory
set of general laws or principles that have the ability to explain particular events or behaviours
what does theory contruction occur through?
gathering evidence via direct observation.
What must theory do?
produce a number of possible hypothesis
What must theory be able to be?
scientifically tested
deduction
The process of deriving new hypotheses from an existing theory
What can hypothesese be tested using?
systematic and objective methods
What did Popper argue?
the key criterion for scientific theory was its falsifiability
Why must genuine scientific theories go through hypothesis testing?
in case they are false
What did Popper argue about pseudosciences?
they cannot be falsified and therefore they are not a good science.
Why must an alternative hypothesis always be accompanied by a null hypothesis?
to allow for falsifying the hypothesis
what is replicability an important part of?
Popper’s hypothetico-deductive method. For scientific theory to be trusted
