features of science Flashcards
research methods
What is objectivity?
The opposite to subjectivity- researcher approaches data collection and data analysis free from bias- interests and preferences don’t cloud the way they do things
How can objectivity be achieved?
The use of experimental techniques and by only recording observable behaviour
Who argues that objectivity is impossible and why?
Popper 1972- people have always got some idea of what they’re looking for and it can cloud their judgement
What does empiricism mean?
Through the senses
What is the empirical method?
Carrying out research to test a hypothesis
What is replicability?
The ability to repeat a study
Why is replicability important?
Ensure the original results weren’t a one off
Checks reliability
What is replicability dependent upon?
Research method (natural experiments can’t be verified)
What is falsifiability?
A theory is falsifiable if it is able to be proven right or wrong
Who has been criticised for their unfalsifiable theories?
Freud- his theories are on the unconscious mind and we don’t know what is in it so the theories can’t be tested with empirical methods
What is used to check falsifiability?
The empirical method
What is a theory?
A set of ideas constructed and modified based on empirical evidence- not fact but are our best current understanding of
What is a hypothesis?
Testable predictions based on theories
How is a hypotheses tested?
Using empirical methods and testing one part at a time then either accepted or rejected
What is a paradigm?
A set way of understanding a given behaviour
Does psychology have one or more paradigm?
Multiple- the different approaches have differing ideas of what causes behaviour so there’s a disagreement in terms of how behaviour should be understood and studied
What is a paradigm shift?
When the existing paradigm is rejected and a new one adopted
What is an example of a paradigm shift?
When it was discovered that the world was not flat
What are the 7 features of a science to show that psychology is a science?
Objectivity
The empirical method
Replicability
Falsifiability
Theory construction
Hypothesis testing
Paradigm
