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
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)
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
4
Q
What is a theory?
A
- A general set of laws or principles that have the ability to explain particular events or behaviours
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)
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
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)
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
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
10
Q
What is the empirical method?
A
- Scientific approaches that are based on the gathering of evidence through direct observation & experience
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)
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
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
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