features of science Flashcards
define objectivity
all sources of personal bias are minimised so they don’t distort/influence research process
define empirical method
scientific approaches that are based on gathering of evidence through direct observation & experience
define replicability
extent to which scientific procedures & findings can be repeated by other researchers
define falsifiability
principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits to possibility of being proved false
define theory construction
process of developing an explanation for causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence & then organising into a coherent account (theory)
define hypothesis testing
key feature of theory is that it should produce statements which can be tested (hypotheses) - only in this way can a theory be falsified
define paradigm
set of shared assumption & agreed methods within scientific discipline
define paradigm shift
result of scientific revolution when there is a significant change in dominant unifying theory within scientific discipline
describe paradigms & paradigm shifts as proposed by kuhn (1962)
- suggested what distinguishes scientific disciplines from non-scientific disciplines is shared set of assumptions & methods (paradigm)
- suggested social sciences lack universally accepted paradigm & best seen as ‘pre-science’
- psychology has too much internal disagreement & too many conflicting approaches to qualify as science
- progress within established science occurs when there’s a scientific revolution & handful of researchers begin to question it which then gathers popularity/pace = paradigm shift
describe theory construction & hypothesis testing
theory construction:
- theory = set of general laws/principles that have ability to explain particular events & behaviour
- theory construction occurs via gathering evidence through direct observation
- good theory proposes simple & economical principle which reflects reality
–> provides understanding by explaining regularities in behaviour
hypothesis testing:
- theory must be able to be scientifically tested
- should suggest number of possible hypotheses
- can be tested using systematic & objective methods
- process of deriving new hypothesis from existing theory = deduction
describe falsifiability as argued by popper (1934)
- argued that the key criterion of scientific theory is its falsifiability
- genuine scientific theories should allow for hypothesis testing & possibility of being proven false
- theory of falsification= even if scientific principle had been successfully & repeatedly tested, it wasn’t necessarily true as it just hadn’t been proven false
- good science = theories are constantly challenged & can be potentially falsified
- theories that survive most attempts to falsify them become the strongest as they haven’t been proved false
- alternative hypothesis must always be accompanied by null hypothesis
describe replicability
- important element of popper’s hypothetico-deductive method
- if scientific theory ‘trusted’, findings must show repeatability across different contexts & circumstances
- important role in determining validity of findings
- by repeating study over different circumstances/contexts, we can see extent to which findings are generalisable
- replication is only possible if psychologists report investigations with high precision/rigour, so other researchers can verify their work & their findings
describe objectivity & the empirical method
objectivity:
- scientific researchers must maintain objectivity = not allow personal opinions/biases to ‘discolour’ the data collected or influence participants behaviour
- often the greatest level of control (eg. lab), are the most objective
empirical method:
- objectivity is basis of empirical method
- empirical methods emphasise importance of data collection based on direct, sensory experience
- experimental method & observational method = good examples
