Features Of Science/The Scientific Process Flashcards
What is science?
Systematic approach to creating knowledge
What are me 2 major features of a science?
- Science aims to uncover “facts”
- in order to uncover “truths” about the world, scientists use scientific method
What are the 7 key features of a scientific method?
- empirical method
- replicability
- objectivity
- theory construction
- falsifiability
- hypothesis testing
- paradigms and paradigm shift
What is empirical method?
Info in form of data is gained through direct observation/testing rather man unfounded beliefs and assumptions
What is replicability?
- Ability to check and verify scientific info by repeating assessment
- Failure to repeat suggests flaws in research/ lack of control
what is objectivity?
- is opposite of subjective
data that is objective is: - unaffected by expectations of researcher
- free form bias
- systematically collected & carefully controlled conditions achieve this
what is theory construction?
- aim of science is to construct theories to understand and predict phenomena
- construction can occur and beginning (deduction) or end (induction)
what is the process for induction (theory construction)?
- observations
- formulate testable hypothesis
- conduct study to test hypothesis
- draw conclusions
- PROPOSE THEORY
what is the process for deduction (theory construction)?
- observations
- PROPOSE THEORY
- formulate testable hypothesis
- conduct study to test hypothesis
- draw conclusions
what is falsifiability?
- a theory has only been scientifically scrutinised when attempts have been made to prove it false
- assumption that no amount of evidence can completely prove a theory right but only one bit to prove it wrong
what is hypothesis testing?
a good theory must be able to generate a testable hypothesis
- failure means theory is in need of modification
what is a paradigm?
general theory/law accepted by majority of scientists in that field of study
what is a paradigm shift?
over time evidence accumulates that suggests current paradigm is less adequate than it was so is replaced with new paradigm
what makes a good theory (according to Popper)?
- can be empirically tested
- can produce a variety of hypotheses allowing for falsification
- argued that theories should come first to generate expectations (deduction)
what does Kuhn argue about how science develops?
- 3 stages
- pre-science
- normal science
- revolutionary science
what did Kuhn propose was involved in the pre-science stage?
- when a variety of theories attempt to explain one phenomenon
- there is no generally accepted theory/paradigm
what did Kuhn propose was involved in the normal science stage?
when a generally accepted paradigm has emerged which dominated the science
what did Kuhn propose was involved in the revolutionary science stage?
- an accumulation of evidence against existing paradigm
- alternative theories are proposed and eventually new paradigm is accepted (paradigm shift)
why can psychology be accepted as a science?
- shares goals of all sciences
- uses scientific method
- most psychologists generate models which can be falsified and test with controlled experiments
what can psychology NOT be accepted as a science?
- using scientific method ≠ science
- quantitative data and statistical analysis is not sufficient
- there is no single paradigm (Kuhn)
- lack of objectivity and control
- psychology takes nomothetic approach (looks to make generalisations)
- some psychologists use subjective, qualitative methods
