M1L3: The Scientific Approach and Psychology Flashcards
The scientific method involves invoking an attitude of __________.
skepticism
A skeptic is a person who questions the validity, authenticity, or truth of something purporting to be factual.
True
In our society, being described as a skeptic is typically thought of as a compliment. However, for a scientist, it is not a compliment.
False
Being skeptic means that you blindly accept any new idea that comes along.
False
The skeptic needs data to support an idea and insists on proper testing procedures when the data were collected.
True
Being a skeptic and using the scientific method involve applying three important criteria that help define science:
1)
2)
3)
systematic empiricism, publicly verifiable knowledge, and empirically solvable problems
is the practice of relying on observation to draw conclusions
Empiricism
Most people today probably agree that the best way to learn about something is to observe it. However, empiricism alone is not enough.
True
Simply observing a series of events does not lead to scientific knowledge. The observations must be made in a systematic manner to test a hypothesis and develop or refute a theory (in other words, empiricism, and rationalism).
True
By using this approach, researchers can draw more reliable and valid conclusions than they can from observation alone.
Systematic empiricism
This means that the research is presented to the public in such a way that it can be observed, replicated, criticized, and tested for veracity by others.
Publicly Verifiable Knowledge
Most commonly, this involves submitting the research to a scientific journal for possible publication.
Publicly Verifiable Knowledge
Most journals are ____-________—other scientists critique the research to decide whether it meets the standards for publication.
If a study is published, other researchers can read about the findings, attempt to replicate them, and through this process demonstrate that the results are reliable.
peer-reviewed
You should not be suspicious of any claims made without the support of public verification.
False
questions that are potentially answerable by means of currently available research techniques
Empirically Solvable Problems
If a theory cannot be tested using empirical techniques, then scientists are not interested in it.
True
When empirically solvable problems are studied, they are not always open to the principle of falsifiability.
False
the idea that a scientific theory must be stated in such a way that it is possible to refute or disconfirm it
Falsifiability
A theory must predict not only what will happen but also what will not happen.
True
A theory is not scientific if it is irrefutable.
*This may sound counterintuitive, and you may be thinking that if a theory is irrefutable, it must be really good.
True
claims that appear to be scientific but that actually violate the criteria of science
Pseudoscience
is usually irrefutable and is also often confused with science
Pseudoscience
Those who believe in extrasensory perception (ESP, a pseudoscience) have set up a situation in which they claim falsifying data are not valid, the theory of ESP violates the principle of falsifiability.
True
