replicability and hypothesis testing Flashcards
What is the role of theory in scientific research?
Theories are a set of ideas from which hypotheses can be developed and tested. Observations will then inform further development of the theory.
What is the role of hypothesis testing in psychology?
Hypothesis testing allows us to gather empirical evidence through observation to support or refute our theory and to allow further theory development.
What must a psychologist do in order to ensure replicability of their research?
Be specific and clear - operationalise variables and use standardised methods and tasks.
Why is replicability important?
Our research needs to be open to scrutiny by others or our findings cannot be considered reliable.
Why can a researcher not generalised their conclusions if the sample is small?
A small sample is unlikely to be representative of the target population, as they may be a unique or unusual group, and so the results cannot be generalised.
Why can’t a researcher generalise their conclusions if the experiment was set in a laboratory?
Cannot be generalised to everyday behaviour because behaviour may be different in real life - it has low ecological validity.
Why can’t a researcher generalise their conclusions to different cultures?
Cultures are different so people may behave differently. If we generalise when we shouldn’t this is known as an imposed etic.
