research methods - 5

Question 1

what are the features of science?

Answer 1

-paradigm
-paradigm shift
-objectivity
-empirical method
-replicability
-falsifiability
-theory construction
-hypothesis testing

Question 2

what is a paradigm?

Answer 2

a set of shared assumptions / methods within a particular discipline

Question 3

psychology a science - paradigm

Answer 3

prychology is a science because all psychologists study the human mind and behaviour
(each approach is its own paradigm)

Question 4

psychology not a science - paradigm

Answer 4

no, because there isn’t a shared set of assumptions about the causes of human behaviour
↳ bio approach (genes, neurotransmitters, brain structures)
↳ behaviourist (learn from envionment)

Question 5

what is a paradigm shift?

Answer 5

a psychological revolution leading to a new, widely accepted, dominant paradigm
(change in unifying theory)

Question 6

psychology a science - paradigm shift

Answer 6

psychology has had several paradigm shifts
(wundt → psychodynamic → behaviourist → cognitive)

Question 7

psychology not a science - paradigm shift

Answer 7

if there is no paradigm, there can’t be a paradigm shift

(eg: biological approach & behaviourist approach conflict)

Question 8

what is objectivity?

Answer 8

rerearchers mustn’t let their personal opinions, judgements or biases interfere with data

Question 9

psychology a science - objectivity

Answer 9

some approaches are objective
→ behaviourist (focus on observable behaviour)
→ biological (scanning techniques)

Question 10

psychology not a science - objectivity

Answer 10

not all research is interpreted in an objective way
→ psychodynamic (little hans case study)

Question 11

what is the empirical method?

Answer 11

the idea that knowledge is gained from direct experiences in an objective,
systematic + controlled manner to produce quantitative data

Question 12

psychology a science - empirical method

Answer 12

some approaches use the empirical method → behaviourist (only focuses on observable behaviour)

Question 13

psychology not a science - empirical method

Answer 13

not all psychological matter can be directly observed
→ cognitive (inferences are assumptions)
→ psychodynamic (unobservable, unconscious thought)
→ wundt (conscious thoughts can’t be verified )

Question 14

what is replicability?

Answer 14

when research is repeated and consistent results are found

Question 15

psychology a science - replicability

Answer 15

most psychological research is standardised and therefore replicable
➢ wundt = stimuli (metronome)
➢ behaviourist = skinner’s box

Question 16

psychology not a science - replicability

Answer 16

it is almost impossible to replicate the same conditons and behaviour in humans (individual differences)
↳ partipant variables, wundt used a ticking metronome, but not all participants repeated the same thoughts

Question 17

what is falsifiability?

Answer 17

the idea that a research hypothesis could be proved wrong. this helps to keep science advancing findings and
with new paradigms

Question 18

psychology a science - falsifiability

Answer 18

some theories have testable hypotheses:
↳ behaviourist
↳ biological

Question 19

psychology not a science - falsifiability

Answer 19

there is no testable hypothers in the prychodynamic approach
→ theories are on an unconscious level

Question 20

what is theory construction?

Answer 20

to construct a theory, evidence to support this notion needs to be collected first

Question 21

psychology a science - theory construction

Question 22

psychology not a science - theory construction

Question 23

what is hypothesis testing?

Answer 23

if a researcher suspects something to be true, they need to devise an experiment that will allow them to examine their ideas

Question 24

psychology a science - hypothesis testing

Question 25

psychology not a science - hypothesis testing

Question 26

most early psychologists focused on causal explanations and argued that behaviour was determined by either internal or external influences.

in the 1960s, some psychologists chose to focus more on the role of free will in behaviour. more recently, there has been a broad shift back to more deterministic thinking, but this time with the focus on biology and cognitive processes.

referring to the text above, explain what is meant by a paradigm shift
(4 marks)

Answer 26

-paradigm is a set of shared assumptions/beliefs about how behaviour/thought is studied/explained
(eg: a focus on causal explanations of behaviour)

-a shift occurs where members of a scientific community change from one established way of explaining a behaviour to a new way, due to new evidence
(eg: shifting focus from cause to free will)

-this shift leads to a ‘scientific revolution’ (eg: the cognitive revolution in the 1970s and the current emphasis on cognitive neuroscience)

Question 27

briefly explain one reason why it is important for research to be replicated.
(2 marks)

Answer 27

-the theory gains strength if it is replicable
-generalisability increases if research is replicable (the theory may then have practical applications)

Question 28

a psychodynamic psychologist wished to investigate the function of dreams. he asked five friends to keep a ‘dream diary’ for a week by writing a descriptive account of their dreams as soon as they woke up in the morning. he interpreted the content of their dreams as an
expression of their repressed wishes.

referring to the study above, explain why psychodynamic psychologists have often been criticised for neglecting the rules of the scientific approach.

(3 marks)

Answer 28

-interpretation of the content of dreams is open to bias and subjectivity

-small sample & an opportunity sample of friends → implications for generalisability

-retrospective data / memory
distortions → problem of objectivity

Question 29

outline what is meant by replication in research. explain why replication forms an essential part of the scientific approach. (4 marks)

Answer 29

1 mark = (definition) being able to copy the original experiment in order to see if results are the same or similar.

1 mark = reference to method (doing the same way).
1 mark = reference to results (if similar or not)

up to two marks = for explaining the role of replication in the scientific approach

candidates may focus on two reasons briefly or may choose to elaborate on a single reason
-increases confidence in results; theory strengthened through repeated attempts at refutation
-generalisability increased

Question 30

a researcher believed that there is a biological basis to aggression in males. she predicted that there would be a significant difference between the levels of the hormone testosterone in
aggressive males and the levels of the hormone testosterone in non-aggressive males. In order to test her prediction, the researcher statistically analysed the levels of testosterone in saliva
samples from 20 aggressive males and 20 non-aggressive males.

outline three ways in which the study described above could be considered to be scientific.

Answer 30

statistical testing:
measuring levels of hormones; use of saliva samples

-hypothesis testing
-open to replication