Features of a science - A-level Flashcards
objectivity definition
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 gathering of evidence through direct observation and experience
replicability definition
extent to which scientific procedures and findings can be repeated by other researchers
falsifiability definition
principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being proved untrue
theory construction definition
process of developing an explanation for the causes if behaviour by systematically gathering evidence and then organising this into a coherent account (theory)
hypothesis testing definition
key feature of a theory is that is should produce statements (hypotheses) which can them be tested. only in this way a theory can be falsified
paradigm definition
set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline
who suggested what distinguishes a scientific discipline from a non scientific discipline is a paradigm (paradigm and paradigm shifts)
Kuhn
what is a paradigm (paradigm and paradigm shifts)
shared set of assumptions and methods
what did Kuhn suggest about social sciences (including psychology) (paradigm and paradigm shifts)
lack a universally accepted paradigm and are best seen as a pre-science which are distinct from natural sciences
why is psychology seen as a ‘pre-science’ (paradigm and paradigm shifts)
has too much internal disagreement and too many conflicting approaches to qualify as a science
when does Kuhn think a scientific revolution happen (paradigm and paradigm shifts)
causes progress within an established science as a handful of researchers begin to question the accepted paradigm and this critique begins to gain contradictory evidence to ignore
theory (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
set of general laws or principles that have the ability to explain a particular events or behaviours
how does theory construction occur (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
through gathering evidence via direct observation
what is an essential component of a theory (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
it can be scientifically tested
how is a hypothesis tested (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
using systematic and objective methods to determine whether it will be supported it refuted
what happens if a tested hypothesis is supported (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
the theory is strengthened
what happens if a theory is tested and refuted (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
theory may be revised or revisited
what is the name of the process of deriving a new hypothesis from an existing theory (theory construction and hypothesis testing)
deduction
who argued that the criteria for a scientific theory is falsifiability (falsifiability)
Popper who was a philosopher of science at a similar time to Kuhn (falsifiability)
what did Popper think about genuine scientific theories (falsifiability)
should hold themselves up for hypothesis testing and the possibility of being proven false.
what did Popper believe on testing of a scientific theory (falsifiability)
even when it had been tested successfully and repeatedly tested , it was not necessarily true it just hadn’t been proven false yet which is the theory of falsification
how did Popper draw a clear line between types of science (falsifiability)
good science which theories are constantly challenged and can therefore potentially be falsified and ‘pseudosciences’ which cannot be falsified
which theories are the strongest (falsifiability)
survive most attempts to falsify them become the strongest, this is not necessarily because they are true but because they have not been proved false
