philosophy of science

Question 1

what is the scientific method?

Answer 1

method of procedure that has characterised natural science since the 17th century

Question 2

what 6 things does the scientific method consist of?

Answer 2

• observation
• measurement
• experiment
• hypothesis formulation
• hypothesis testing
• hypothesis modification

Question 3

what are the 4 principles of science?

Answer 3

realism, objectivity, truth, rationality

Question 4

what is realism?

Answer 4

there is a physical world

Question 5

what is objectivity?

Answer 5

knowledge of the physical world doesnt depend on the observer

Question 6

what is truth?

Answer 6

statements that correspond with physical reality

Question 7

what is rationality?

Answer 7

sound reasoning based on convincing evidence

Question 8

what is induction?

Answer 8

create experiment, make unprejudiced predictions, tabulate successes & failures, general features emerge

Question 9

what do we get when induction is done properly?

Answer 9

truth about the world

Question 10

what is an issue with the outcomes of induction?

Answer 10

they are not always true e.g. assume all swans are white

Question 11

what does comte say about true knowledge?

Answer 11

it comes from empirical observations (positivism), unobservable is unacceptable

Question 12

what is the implication for psychology if comte’s theory/positivism is true?

Answer 12

can’t get true knowledge from psychology

Question 13

what is metaphysical speculation?

Answer 13

asking ultimate questions about the universe

Question 14

what term did bridgman create?

Answer 14

operational definition

Question 15

what is operational definition?

Answer 15

tie the unobservable to something observable e.g. memory = number of items recalled

Question 16

what is logical positivism?

Answer 16

science proceeds by cycle of observation, induction and verification

Question 17

what does logical positivism say observational evidence must be to be valid?

Answer 17

describable

Question 18

what part of psychology is a close example of following logical postivism?

Answer 18

behaviourism

Question 19

what does primacy of data say about theory and observation?

Answer 19

theory guides observations

Question 20

what did karl popper emphasise?

Answer 20

theory of primacy

Question 21

what is falsificationism?

Answer 21

scientific strategies are falsified by observations, not verified

Question 22

what can happen to theories after being falsified?

Answer 22

they can be modified

Question 23

what did thomas kuhn emphasise?

Answer 23

socio-ecological characteristics in scientific communities

Question 24

what is the cycle that paradigm that science follows according to kuhn?

Answer 24

pre-science -> normal science, crisis, revolution

Question 25

what is the pre-science stage?

Answer 25

unorganized mix of facts, observations and models

Question 26

when does the normal science stage take place?

Answer 26

within the paradigm

Question 27

what is the normal science stage?

Answer 27

basic theoretical and methodological tenets, everyone stays within paradigm

Question 28

what happens when there are too many anomalies?

Answer 28

crisis

Question 29

what happens during a paradigm shift?

Answer 29

alternative paradigms appear that easily explains anomalies

Question 30

what happens when there is a scientific revolution?

Answer 30

move to a new paradigm when one of the alternative paradigms is chosen

Question 31

what is the issue of relativism in relation to paradigms?

Answer 31

can we say one paradigm is better than another?

Question 32

what did imre lakatos do?

Answer 32

he combined falsification with paradigms, can falsify a paradigm

Question 33

what are scientific achievements based on?

Answer 33

research programmes

Question 34

what is the hard core?

Answer 34

ideas and theories people historically committed to and reluctant to give up (central beliefs of the programme)

Question 35

what is the positive heuristic?

Answer 35

guidelines on how to deal with falsifying evidence by modifying protective belt

Question 36

what is the protective belt?

Answer 36

set of assumptions that are subject to amendment

Question 37

what is the reason science moves between paradigms?

Answer 37

scientific achievements in research programmes

Question 38

what are progressive research programmes?

Answer 38

retain coherence, theory predicts data

Question 39

what are degenerating research programmes?

Answer 39

lose coherence, data predicted after event

Question 40

why did lakatos say kuhn was wrong?

Answer 40

scientific revolutions are not sudden changes in vision

Question 41

why did lakatos say popper was wrong?

Answer 41

there are no crucial experiments

Question 42

what did paul feyerabend create?

Answer 42

the against method

Question 43

what is the against method?

Answer 43

there is no recipe for science

Question 44

what did feyerabend say about the heliocentric window?

Answer 44

idea of the earth moving would be rejected if only went by observations

Question 45

what did feyerabend say is the only rule not restricting science?

Answer 45

'anything goes'

Question 46

what does popper's theories and logical positivism do to science?

Answer 46

inhibit science by restrictive conditions

Question 47

what is social constructivism?

Answer 47

story told by particular scientific community on the basis of language and culture

Question 48

what do people do to proposals and papers they don't agree with acording to social constructivism?

Answer 48

reject them from being published

Question 49

what implication does social constructivism have on science?

Answer 49

it loses its status as a provider of true knowledge

Question 50

what did sokal (1996) argue against social constructivism?

Answer 50

physics is not mere social conventions