L6 - Features Of Science - Replicability & Falsifability: Theory Construction & Hypothesis Testing

Question 1

Replicability

Answer 1

• ‘The extent to which the findings of research can be repeated in different contexts and
  circumstances’
• refers to when the research is carried out again in the future and whether the findings can be repeated and whether similar findings can be found; if this is the case then we can say that the research is scientific and reliable.
• Replicability relies on the findings being consistent over time, and it can help validate research findings, because we can be certain that if the study were to be repeated, the same findings would be gained.
• This is very important in Psychology, especially when sample sizes tend to be small. If we cannot repeat the findings gained from research then this indicates that we should not be using these results to inform policy or theories in Psychology

Question 2

Replicability also serves the purpose of:

Answer 2

A) guarding against scientific fraud - making sure results haven’t been manipulated for 1 theory
B) researchers can check to see if results gained were a ‘one off fluke’ possibly caused by extraneous or confounding variables
C) if research findings can be repeated, can say that findings are reliable
D) replicabilty can also indicate research findings are valid

Question 3

Falsifiability

Answer 3

• defined by Popper (1934) as, “The notion that scientific theories can potentiaily be disproved by evidence, it is the hallmark of science. It refers to proving a hypothesis wrong”
• Popper (1969) stated that genuine scientific theories should be tested and can also be proven to be false or incorrect (falsifiability).
• Theories or ideas can be falsified, this occurs when other research or theories have failed to support it or have severely contradicted it, and therefore we might assume that the research or idea is false or incorrect.
• Researchers will form theories that can be shown to be untrue or incorrect via experimental testing. - Popper stated that even when a scientific principle had been successfully tested and repeated, it did not mean the principle was true, it simply meant that it had not been proven to be false - yet!
• Popper said that, “good sciences” such as Biology and Physics have theories which are constantly challenged, but the neories are not usually proven to be incorrect or false because they are strong. “Pseudoscience” disciplines produce theories that cannot be falsified easily e.g. Freud.

Question 4

Theory construction

Answer 4

• Theories are constructed via hypothesis testing and re-testing which is part of the scientific process.
• Theories are constructed based on the results of a range of work conducted by many different researchers (not just one piece).
• Scientific theory must be testable and falsifiable (researchers must be able to test it and may even reject the theory because results have shown that it is false).
  E.g. Freud’s theory that focuses on the id, ego and superego which is unfalsifiable as the theory cannot really be tested properly and is regarded as non-scientific. Researchers cannot really say that Freud’s theory is false, as it cannot be tested properly in the first place!

Question 5

Deductive reasoning

Answer 5

This involves firstly having a theory, and then devising a hypothesis. Researchers then test this theory using empirical methods such as experiments/observations. Once the theory has been tested, conclusions are drawn from the data. Popper (1935) devised the Hypothetico-deductive model suggesting that theories/laws about the world should come first and then hypothesis should be generated and tested to see if the theory/law is correct.

Question 6

Stages of deductive reasoning

Answer 6

• propose a theory
• develop a hypothesis
• test this theory
• draw conclusions

Question 7

Inductive reasoning

Answer 7

• A researcher observes instances of a natural phenomenon, or has observed some aspect of behaviour that then leads the researcher to come up with a hypothesis
• the hypothesis is then tested & conclusions are drawn from the research
• from the conclusions a theory is generated about the topic/area being investigated

Question 8

Inductive reasoning stages

Answer 8

• observe facts in environment
• develop hypothesis
• test hypothesis
• draw conclusions
• devise a theory based on information

Question 9

Problems with deductive reasoning

Answer 9

• may try and find evidence to fit theory already come up with