Psychology As A Science Flashcards
What is introspection?
The examination of ones own thought processes. Wilhelm Wundt’s researchers were trained to examine theirs for feelings, emotions and sensations.
What was wrong with Wundt’s methods?
His experiments were not replicable and therefore, unreliable.
The experiment was too subjective.
Why is psychology described as a science?
Because psychology has many of the same features of a scientific study (observation -> question -> research -> hypothesis -> experiment -> data -> conclusion).
Science offers a method for distinguishing between…
What is true and real and what is not.
Scientific studies are CARRIED OUT __________ and___________.
Systematically and objectively.
OBJECTIVES of scientific study=
Description (what)
Understanding (why and how)
Predict (what will happen)
Control (where possible)
RESULTS should be______and______.
Replicable and accurate.
What are empirical methods?
Methods which involve careful observation* and measurement.
*thoughts, feelings and subjective experiences must be made observable to be studied in this way (I.e. Not introspection as you are not studying the anatomy of the brain in response to sensory stimuli but the “mind” and “soul”.)
Why are lab experiments the most objective method?
Because you can
1) carefully control the conditions .
2) reduce the risk of extraneous / confounding variables.
3) establish a cause- effect relationship between the IV and DV.
Systematic experiment/observation (e.g. Carried out in an orderly way) produces systematic results (e.g…
Accurate and with due consideration for the possible influence of other factors on obtained results.)
Problems presented by controlled environments (e.g. In lab experiments)…
Ecological validity (extent to which findings can be generalised to real- life setting outside of experimental setting)
Demand characteristics (unnatural behaviour due to response to experimental cues e.g. desired behaviour or perhaps deviant behaviour)
