Features of science

Question 1

What was philosopher Kuhns theories?

Answer 1

• Thomas Kuhn suggested that social sciences like psychology lack a universally accepted paradigm and unlike sciences like biology with a core principle, psychology has a lot of internal disagreement and has too many conflicting approaches to qualify as a science

Question 2

What is a paradigm shift?

Answer 2

• The result of a scientific revolution when there is a significant change in the dominant unifying theory within a scientific discipline

Question 3

When does Kuhn think progress happens within an established science?

Answer 3

• Kuhn believes there is progress when there is a scientific revolution.
• When this happens, researchers begin to question the accepted paradigm.
• These critiques begin to gather popularity and pace and eventually a paradigm shift occurs when there is too much contradictory evidence to ignore.
• An example of this is the change from a Newtonian paradigm in physics towards Einsteins theory of relativity as an example of a paradigm shift

Question 4

What is theory construction?

Answer 4

• The process of developing an explanation for the causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence and gathering evidence and then organising this into a coherent account

Question 5

What is a theory?

Answer 5

• A theory is a set of general laws or principles that have the ability to explain particular events or behaviours

Question 6

What is the essential component of a theory?

Answer 6

• That it can be scientifically tested.
• Theories should suggest a number of possible hypotheses
• A hypothesis like this can be tested through systematic and objective methods to determine whether it will be supported or refuted.
• If the hypothesis is supported it is strengthened and if it is refuted, the theory may need to be revised or revisted.
• If it is refuted, the process of deriving new hypotheses from an existing theory is known as deduction

Question 7

What is deduction?

Answer 7

• This is the process of deriving a new hypotheses

Question 8

What is falsifiability?

Answer 8

• The principle that a theory cant be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being proved untrue

Question 9

What did popper suggest about falsifiability?

Answer 9

• Popper suggested that genuine scientific theories should hold themselves up for hypothesis testing and the possibility of being proven false
• He believed that even when a scientific principle has been tested successfully and repeatedly, it is not necessarily true unless it can be proven false
• Therefore a clear line can be drawn between good science and pseudosciences which can not be falsified
• Those theories which can survive most attempts to falsify them, become the strongest
• This is why resarchers use phrases such as this suggests rather than this proves as an alternative hypothesis must be accompanied by a null hypothesis

Question 10

What is replicability?

Answer 10

• The extent to which a scientific procedure and findings can be repeated by other researchers

Question 11

Why does replicability help scientific theories?

Answer 11

• An important element of the hypothetico - deductive method is replicability.
• If a scientific theory is to be trusted the findings must be shown to be repeatable across a number of different contexts and circumstances
• Replicability is able to assess and determine the reliability of a method used in a study
• Popper suggested that if a study can be used over a number of different contexts and circumstances then we can see how the findings can be generalised
• In order for replicability to be possible, it is vital that psychologists report their investigations with as much precision and rigour as possible, so other researchers can seek to verify their findings

Question 12

What is objectivity?

Answer 12

• All sources of personal bias are minimised so as not to distort or influence the research process

Question 13

Why to scientists have to maintain objectivity?

Answer 13

• Scientific researchers must strive to maintain objectivity and keep a critical distance during research.
• They must not allow their personal opinions or biases to discolour the data that they collect or influence the behaviour of participants that they are studying
• Lab experiments are seen as being the most objective

Question 14

What is the empirical method?

Answer 14

• Objectivity is the basis of the empirical method
• empirical methods emphasise the importance of data collection based on direct, sensory experience.
• Examples of the empirical methods are the experimental method and observational method