Features of a Science

Question 1

What is psychology classed as?

Answer 1

The science of mind and behaviour

Question 2

What is the scientific system of acquiring knowledge defined as?

Answer 2

The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation and theoretical explanation of a phenomenon

Question 3

What are the three different aspects to a scientific method?

Answer 3

Observation and description of a phenomenon, formulation of a hypothesis and performance of experimental tests

Question 4

What are the five features of a science?

Answer 4

Theory construction and hypothesis testing, empirical methods, falsification, replicability and objectivity

Question 5

What is a theory?

Answer 5

A theory is a collection of general principles which can explain a particular event or behaviour

Question 6

Who created the idea of theory construction and hypothesis testing?

Answer 6

Popper

Question 7

What did Popper say?

Answer 7

He saw the scientific process as starting with tentative theories based upon observation which are then used to generate hypotheses. These predictions are investigated using rigorous techniques and analyses to see whether they are either supported or rejected. If the original tentative theory cannot account for this new information it leads to adjustment of the theory. Through this cycle, the theory is gradually gaining closeness to the truth

Question 8

What is the inductive phase?

Answer 8

Observations yield information that is used to formulate theories as explanations for what has been observed

Question 9

What is the deductive phase?

Answer 9

Hypotheses are created from these theories, which are them tested and data analysed, leading to theory adjustment

Question 10

What is the key difference between the inductive and deductive phase?

Answer 10

The induction begins with open observation which then leads to development of a theory whereas deduction starts with the theory and then uses observations to support or reject this theory

Question 11

What are empirical methods?

Answer 11

The view that experience and evidence is central to knowledge and the scientific method rather than simply upon thoughts and beliefs

Question 12

How is empirical evidence gained?

Answer 12

Through controlled experiments or observations

Question 13

Why do lab experiments provide the best empirical evidence?

Answer 13

Cause and effect can be established due to control over the extraneous variables which means that we can be sure that the results occurred because of only the IV

Question 14

How does empirical methods help to prove a theory?

Answer 14

A theory can eventually be accepted as true of enough empirical evidence supports it but just one finding of it not being true will lead to the theory being falsified

Question 15

What is falsification?

Answer 15

This is where a scientific theory or hypothesis is tested and found to be untrue

Question 16

What is an example of unfalsifiable work?

Answer 16

Freuds psychodynamic approach is criticised for being unfalsifiable as Freud placed interpretations on behaviour that could not be empirically tested because it was based on the unconscious

Question 17

What did Popper say about falsification?

Answer 17

No matter how many positive validations of a scientific theory occur through testing, it can never prove the theory as undeniably true. However just one instance of falsification is enough to render a theory untrue

Question 18

How does replicability help to prove a study as scientific?

Answer 18

It is important that research is capable of being repeated under identical conditions for it to be scientific. Therefore pieces of research need to be fully and clearly written up in a standard format so that others can replicate

Question 19

What does replicating the study show?

Answer 19

Inaccurate findings that may have occurred due to mistakes in the research procedure or results that happened by chance are discovered

Question 20

What does repeating a study help to increase?

Answer 20

External replicability

Question 21

How does objectivity help a study to be considered as a science?

Answer 21

It is not based on personal opinion and are not biased viewpoints of researchers. To lessen the possibility of unconscious bias, researchers aim to use standardised instructions, operationalisation, the double blind technique

Question 22

How can you check that research is objective?

Answer 22

Replicability and peer review

Question 23

Who created the ideas of paradigm and paradigm shifts?

Answer 23

Kohn

Question 24

What did Kuhn argue?

Answer 24

Our knowledge improves due to a scientific revolution that completely changes how science views the world (paradigm shift)

Question 25

What is a paradigm?

Answer 25

A shared set of assumptions about the subject matter of a discipline and the methods appropriate to its study

Question 26

What is a paradigm shift?

Answer 26

When a paradigm is replaced with a new paradigm by sudden revolutionary changes in view

Question 27

What is an example of a paradigm shift?

Answer 27

At one point the earth was considered to be flat and this if we kept going we would eventually fall off. This was accepted by early everyone. However, explorers travelled the world and provided evidence that the world was in fact round. This was them accepted by others and a paradigm shift had occurred