Features Of Science

Question 1

What are the features of science?

Answer 1

-objectivity and empirical methods
-Falsifiabillity
-Replicability
-Theory construction and hypothesis testing
-Paradigms and Paradigm shifts

Question 2

What does empiricism suggest?

Answer 2

All knowledge should be derived from direct and sensory experience e.g observation and experiements

Question 3

According to empiricists like Locke (theory)

Answer 3

If a theory has not been tested using empirical methods, it cannot classify itself as being scientific

Question 4

Empirical methods must be what?
What can subjectivity cause?

Answer 4

Objective
Contamination of data due to own beliefs

Question 5

What is objectivity?

Answer 5

Feature of science and not affected by researchers personal feelings or experience

Question 6

Who established scientific theories tested by hypothetico deductive method.

Answer 6

Karl popper (1934)

Question 7

What is deductive method?

Answer 7

Wider theory is tested through hypothesis testing

Question 8

What is falsifiability?

Answer 8

A theory is disproved (which makes it scientific)

Question 9

Give an example of falsifiability (swans)

Answer 9

All swans r white theory proven false due to sight of black swans

Question 10

What is pseudo science?

Answer 10

popper believed science whose theories cannot be falsified

Question 11

give an example of pseudo science

Answer 11

Psychodynamic theory (id cannot be tested so could be pseudo science)

Question 12

What is replicability?

Answer 12

Repetition of study - For a theory to be tested , the finding must be replicable across different contexts + circumstances (replication therefore increases (external reliability))

Question 13

when r effects that occur in a study more likely to be reliable?

Answer 13

if they occur in a repeat of the study

Question 14

What must a psychologist do in order to make replicability possible?

Answer 14

-Standardised procedures
-Rigorous + specific methods
-operationalise variables
-reports (detailed methods for others to replicate)

Question 15

Theory construction and hypothesis testing
What is a theory?

Answer 15

A set of general principles that attempt to make sense or explain particular observational facts

Question 16

what should theories satisfy?

Answer 16

key principles in science (order + direction)

Question 17

What r theories needed for?

Answer 17

To organise facts, find patterns + condense into general principles (helps to understand and predict future)

Question 18

What is theory construction?

Answer 18

Process of developing an explanation by systematically gathering evidence
And organising into coherent theory so theories provide a basis of research

Question 19

What is hypothesis testing?

Answer 19

Testable explanations + r tested using systematic + objective methods to see if hyp is supported/refuted

Question 20

Paradigms and Paradigm shifts
What are paradigm shifts?

Answer 20

Paradigm - set/concepts of ideas or theories
An agreed upon set of theoretical assumptions about a subject and its method of enquiry as too much evidence goes against the theory

Question 21

Who implied that a subject can only be called a science if there is an agreed ‘global’ theory?

Answer 21

Thomas Kuhn (1962)

Question 22

give an example of a ‘global’ theory

Answer 22

all biologists accept the theory of evolution

Question 23

Thomas said their were 2 main phases in science, what was the first?

Answer 23

Normal science (when a theory remains dominant)

Question 24

what is phase 2?

Answer 24

revolutionary shift
(Copernicus - 2000 idea that earth is centre of universe but one of many planets circulating sun - too much evidence against)

Question 25

what is Thomas’s argument?

Answer 25

these phases r how science moves forward (not via poppers falsifiability)

Question 26

What does Kuhn suggest about psych?

Answer 26

It does not have an acccepted paradigm

Question 27

What does Kuhn call psuychology?

Answer 27

a pre-science ( he says due to lack psych has yet to achieve status of norm science)

Question 28

why is psych regarded as a pre-science?

Answer 28

Kuhn suggests there is not one global unifying theory in psych

Question 29

psych is characterised by what (Kuhn)

Answer 29

many theoretical approaches (some aspects r conflicting (psychodynamic vs humanistic)
also psych has conflicting methods of enquiry (research methods)