Introduction

Question 1

BPS definition of psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of people, the mind, and behaviour

Question 2

Why is psychology different to other ways of studying the mind and behaviour

Answer 2

It’s scientific

Question 3

What is science related to

Answer 3

Knowing

Question 4

What does science determine the criteria for

Answer 4

How knowledge can be acquired and evaluated

Question 5

Why is scientific knowledge seen as superior to other sources of knowledge

Answer 5

It’s utility

Question 6

Empirical

Answer 6

Scientific knowledge is related to objective (observable) data and is embodied in testable theories

Question 7

What 3 things did checkland say science is characterised by

Answer 7

Reductionism
Repeatability
Refutation

Question 8

How many ways are there of observing the world

Answer 8

Infinite

Question 9

What are scientific theories

Answer 9

Explanations that generalise across a number of specific instances that lead to hypotheses, are logically coherent, parsimonious, and lead to predictions

Question 10

What did popper create

Answer 10

Hypo-deductive model

Question 11

What is the hypo-deductive model

Answer 11

Theories lead to hypotheses, empirically validate hypothesis

Ones that are not validated should lead to reformulation or abandonment of theory

Question 12

Scientific truth

Answer 12

Is determined by its correspondence to reality

Question 13

What are formal processes

Answer 13

Deduction of hypotheses and their empirical testing

Question 14

What are informal processes

Answer 14

Selection of hypotheses for testing

Question 15

What is at the heart of science

Answer 15

Creativity and subjectivity

Question 16

Operational definition

Answer 16

Explains a concept solely in terms of operations used to produce and measure it

Question 17

Scientific theories have to be

Answer 17

Empirically testable

Question 18

Science cannot answer

Answer 18

All types of questions like what is god