Features of Science Flashcards

1
Q

What is a paradigm?

A
  • Thomas Kuhn (1962)
  • A Paradigm is set of shared assumptions & agreed methods within a scientific discipline
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2
Q

What did Kuhn suggest about paradigms?

A
  • A set of shared assumptions & agreed methods within a scientific discipline
  • Suggested that social sciences (including psychology) lack a universally accepted paradigm & are probably best seen as ‘pre science’ as distinct from natural sciences such as biology or physics
  • Psychology is marked by too much internal disagreement & has too many conflicting approaches to qualify as a science & therefore is a pre-science (although this view has been challanged)
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3
Q

What is a paradigm shift?

A
  • An important change in the basic concepts & experimental practices of scientific discipline
  • It is a change from one way of thinking to another & is also referred to as scientific revolution
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4
Q

What is a theory?

A
  • A general set of laws or principles that have the ability to explain particular events or behaviours
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5
Q

What is theory construction?

A
  • The process of developing an explanation for the causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence & then organising this into a coherent account (theory)
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6
Q

What is hypothesis testing?

A
  • A key feature of a theory is that it should only produce statements (hypotheses) which can then be tested
  • Only in this way can a theory be falsified
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7
Q

What is falsifiability?

A
  • Karl Popper - Argued that the key criterion of a scientific theory is its falsefiability:
    The principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being untrue (false)
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8
Q

What is replicability?

A
  • The extent to which scientific procedures & findings can be repeated by other researchers
  • If a scientific theory is ‘trusted’ (falsefiable) the findings from it must be shown to be repeatable across a number of different contexs & circumstances
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9
Q

What is objectivity?

A
  • Where all sources of personal bias are minimised so as not to distort or influence the research process
  • Scientists must not allow their personal opinions or biases to influence data they collect or influence the behaviour of the ppts they are studying
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10
Q

What is the empirical method?

A
  • Scientific approaches that are based on the gathering of evidence through direct observation & experience
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11
Q

What did Karl Popper argue?

A
  • Argued that the key criterion of a scientific theory is its falsifiability
  • Popper suggested genuine scientific theories, shld hold themselves up for hypothesis testing & possibility of being proven false
  • Believed that even when a scientific principle had been successfully & repeatedly tested it was not necessarily true
  • Instead it had simply not been proven false
  • This became known as the theory of falsification
  • Those theories that survive most attempts to falsify them become the strongest - not because they are not necessarily true- but because despite the best efforts of researchers they have not been proved false (which provides them w some strength)
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12
Q

What was another important element of Popper’s hypothetico-deductive method?

A
  • Replicability
  • If a scientific theory is to be ‘trusted’, the findings from it must be shown to be repeatable across a number of different contexts & circumstances
  • Replication has an important role in determining the validity of a finding
  • Replication is also used to assess the validity of a finding-by repeating a study, as Popper suggests, over a number different contexts & circumstances then we can see the extent to which the findings can be generalised
  • In order for replicability to be possible, it is vital that psychologists report their investigations w as much precision & rigour as possible, so other researchers can seek to verify their work & verify the findings they have established
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13
Q

Why must researchers strive to maintain objectivity as part of their investigations?

A
  • Must keep a ‘critical distance’ away from research & must not allow their personal opinions or biases to ‘discolour’ the data they collect or influence the behaviour of the ppts they are studying
  • Objectivity- All sources of personal bias are minimised so as not to distort or influence the research process
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14
Q

What were John Lockes ideas about the features of science?

A
  • Empiricism – Locke argued that all knowledge comes from experience & sensory observation. This is a fundamental feature of science, as scientific methods rely on empirical evidence.
  • Blank Slate– He believed that humans are born without innate knowledge, & our understanding develops through experience. This idea supports scientific approach of learning through observation & experimentation.
  • Objectivity – He emphasized that knowledge should be based on observable & measurable evidence rather than personal beliefs or intuition.
  • Testability – Locke’s approach supports the idea that scientific theories should be tested against real-world observations, which aligns with falsifiability & Popper
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