Psychology as a Science

Question 1

extraneous variables

Answer 1

any factors that can affect the outcome of an investigation other than those being tested so reduce validity of findings

Question 2

cause and effect

Answer 2

the search for a causal relationship between 2 variables such that a change in one variable can be demonstrated to be responsible for changes in another variable

Question 3

confounding variables

Answer 3

a factor in an experiment that confounds (confuses) the results because it masks the the effect of the IV on the DV as its effects are systematic

Question 4

induction

Answer 4

a scientific method that uses observations to generate testable hypotheses which are developed into theories

Question 5

deduction

Answer 5

develops hypotheses from theories then tests them by ‘observation’

Question 6

falsification

Answer 6

being able to demonstrate that something is not the case i.e. a hypothesis is false

Question 7

manipulation of variables

Answer 7

variables such as IV or DV are clearly operationalised to facilitate scientific manipulation

Question 8

hypothesis testing

Answer 8

a hypothesis serves as a prediction and is derived from a theory so need to be operationalised and unambiguous to be tested

Question 9

replicability

Answer 9

being able to repeat an original procedure in exactly the same way