Psychology as a Science Flashcards
What should conclusions be based on?
Evidence which is empirical and objective
What is an empirical evidence?
When the information gathered is from experience, observation and experimentation
What evidence derives from information gathered from experience, observation and experimentation?
Empirical evidence
What is an objective evidence?
When the information gathered is free from bias
What evidence derives from information that is free from bias?
Objective evidence
What are the 2 main challenges in psychology?
1) Things we are interested in are unobservable
2) May not be possible to examine human behaviour without subjectivity
Define pseudoscience
A claim, belief or practice which is presented as scientific, but does not have a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility and cannot be reliably tested (lack scientific status)
In the early 1900s, what was the Psychoanalysis movement heavily based on?
Introspection (single case studies subject to bias and lacked concrete testable ideas)
In the 1920s, what was the Behaviourist movement heavily based on?
Only directly observable behaviour
In the 1950s, what was the Cognitive movement heavily based on?
Behaviours that do not necessarily need direct observation, being able to make predictions and subject them to empirical verification (predictions can be tested)
What is induction?
- The process of testing a theory
- The basis of multiple observations
- Draw general conclusion for the observations
What are the 2 steps of induction?
1) Evidence is gathered from multiple observations (actual direct observation of behaviour + results from past experiments)
2) General conclusion is drawn based on the evidence (theories)
What is the main problem with induction?
There are no certainty in the theories/general conclusions because if we continue to collect more evidence and find contradictory evidence, our initial theory/general conclusion is not 100% accurate
Who introduced falsifiability?
Karl Popper
What is falsifiability?
Our theory must have a possible negative answer/outcome because a hypothesis can never be one-sided (must argue positive and negative)
For a theory to be scientific, it must be…?
Falsifiable
Testable
Is this question scientific?
Are dreams a reflection of our conscious desires and conflicts?
Yes
- Testable
- Has a possible positive and negative outcome (falsifiable)
Is this question scientific?
Is counselling more beneficial in the treatment of depression than anti-depressant medication?
Yes
- Testable
- Has a possible positive and negative outcome (falsifiable)
Is this question scientific?
Do people recount images of significant life events when they die?
No
- Not testable as you cannot test the deceased
- Has no possible positive and negative outcome (not falsifiable) because it is not testable
What answers the problem with induction and falsification?
Bayesianism
Define Bayesianism
Beliefs come in degrees; the likelihood of future events happening can be expressed based on past knowledge/evidence (AKA your best guess/prediction)
e.g. It rained for 4 days straight so it can be assumed that it will also rain tomorrow
What is the hypothetico-deductive method?
- Known as a scientific method
- It is a cyclic pattern of reasoning and observation used to generate and test proposed hypotheses and/or theories of observations
What are the 3 main limitations of science?
1) Science cannot question value (subjective decisions; as answers can be based on culture/upbringing)
2) Science cannot questions morality (cannot ask whether someone thinks a certain controversial moral idea is right or wrong)
3) Science cannot question the supernatural (as it it above science, not testable)
What are the 5 main characteristics of a good scientist?
1) Uncertain = Don’t be too confident that you know everything about the human mind/behaviour
2) Sceptical = Acknowledge that theories are supported by evidence but are not proven
3) Open-minded = Accept that any theory may be correct until evidence refutes it
4) Cautious = Never say theories are proven or that conclusions are facts
5) Ethical = Ensure no one is harmed in your experiments and avoid plagiarism
Match the items.
a. Only study observable behavior
b. Observation of the inner workings of the brain
c. Based on introspection
d. Can study the mind by making predictions and testing them empirically
- Psychoanalysis movement
- Behaviourist movement
- Cognitive movement
- Neuroscience
- C
- A
- D
- B
Complete the sentences
- The principle of (induction/falsifiability/bayesianism) is the process of testing a theory on the basis of multiple observations and then drawing a general conclusion for all future observations.
- (induction/falsifiability/bayesianism) on the other hand, proposes that we should start out with theories that are able to be disproven.
- The belief that beliefs come in degrees, and we can express the likelihood of future events on the basis of past knowledge is known as (induction/falsifiability/bayesianism)
- Induction
- Falsifiability
- Bayesianism
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a good scientist?
a. Ethical b. Sceptical c. Uncertain d. Persuasive
D