key terms psych asa science

Question 1

reductionism

Answer 1

reducing complex phenomena into their most basic parts. ​

Question 2

holism

Answer 2

understanding the human mind and behaviour that focuses on looking at things as a whole ​

Question 3

falsification

Answer 3

the idea that we cannot prove anything ‘true’, we can only show something that is not true ​

Question 4

empiricism

Answer 4

the idea that knowledge can only come through our senses. Obtaining knowledge through direct evidence. ​

Question 5

hypothesis testing

Answer 5

conducting research to test an operationalised prediction ​

Question 6

credibility

Answer 6

• the reliability, correctness, and believability of content. Considers issues such as objectivity, bias, controls. ​

Question 7

reliability

Answer 7

a measure of whether something stays the same, i.e. is consistent.​

Question 8

validity

Answer 8

the accuracy of data both internally and externally.​
how well a test, experimanent or study measures what its intended to measure

Question 9

use of controls

Answer 9

these are necessary so that the testing of a hypothesis is focused on the statement of what a theory predicts without allowing other variables to have an effect on the results. ​

Question 10

generalisability

Answer 10

a measure of how useful the results of a study are for a broader group of people or situations ​

Question 11

objectivity

Answer 11

all sources of bias are minimized and that personal or subjective ideas are eliminated.​

Question 12

subjectivity

Answer 12

the tendency to interpret data or make judgments in the light of personal feelings, beliefs, or experiences.​

Question 13

Anthropomorphism

Answer 13

generalising animal experiments to humans and the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to animals ​

Question 14

paradigm

Answer 14

agreed subject matter and set of procedures