features of a science Flashcards
What are the features of science according to the specification?
Objectivity
What is objectivity in the context of science?
Minimizing all sources of personal bias to avoid distorting the research process.
What is the empirical method?
Scientific approaches based on gathering evidence through direct observation and experience.
What is replicability?
The extent to which scientific procedures and findings can be repeated by other researchers.
What is falsifiability?
The principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being proven untrue.
What is theory construction?
The process of developing an explanation for the causes of behavior by systematically gathering evidence and organizing it into a coherent account.
What is hypothesis testing?
A key feature of a theory where it should produce testable statements (hypotheses) to allow the theory to be falsified.
What is a paradigm?
A set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline.
What is a paradigm shift?
The result of a scientific revolution where there is a significant change in the dominant unifying theory
According to Kuhn, what distinguishes scientific disciplines?
A shared set of assumptions and methods
What did Kuhn suggest about social sciences like psychology?
They lack a universally accepted paradigm and are best seen as ‘pre-science’.
How does Kuhn describe progress within an established science?
It occurs when there is a scientific revolution
What is a theory in the context of science?
A set of general laws or principles that explain particular events or behaviours
What is an essential component of a theory?
It can be scientifically tested.
What should theories suggest?
A number of possible hypotheses.
What did Karl Popper argue is the key criterion of a scientific theory?
Its falsifiability.
What should genuine scientific theories do according to Popper?
Hold themselves up for hypothesis testing and the possibility of being proven false.
What is replicability according to Popper’s hypothetico-deductive method?
An important element where findings must be repeatable across different contexts and circumstances to be trusted.
Why is objectivity important in scientific research?
To maintain a ‘critical distance’ and prevent personal opinions or biases from influencing the data or behaviour of participants.
What emphasizes the importance of data collection based on direct, sensory experience?
The empirical method.
