Research methods 9: Features of a science Flashcards
What do the initials of the features of a science stand for?
FORCEHP
What does the F in FORCEHP stand for?
Falsifiability
What does O in FORCEHP stand for?
Objectivity
What does the R in FORCEHP stand for?
Replicability
What does the C in FORCEHP stand for?
theory Construction
What does the E in FORCEHP stand for?
Empirical methods
What does the H in FORCEHP stand for?
Hypothesis testing
What does the P in FORCEHP stand for?
Paradigms
What does replicability involve?
This involves being able to repeat the study to see if you can get the same result
What does it suggest if you can repeat a study and get the same results?
That the results are reliable
How do psychologists make there research repeatable by other psychologists?
Use standardised procedures with the same instructions in the same environment.
What does data being objective involve?
Being free from opinion and not open to interpretation. No input of opinion or beliefs from researcher
What does it suggest if the findings are objective and not biased or based on opinion?
The research is more accurate and credible
Which research method is the most objective?
Lab experiments are the most objective because everything is controlled and standardised
Which research method is the least objective?
Group interviews, because each participants answers/body language/expressions and persuasion influence decisions
What can we establish with objective research methods?
A cause and effect relationship
Facts alone are meaningless, how are they given worth?
Through theories which are collections of general principles that explain facts and observations
What do theories help us do?
Predict and understand the phenomena around us
How are theories modified?
Through the process of hypothesis testing
What must a good theory be able to generate?
A testable expectation, which is named a hypothesis
What happens if a hypothesis is proved wrong/right
Wrong- theory requires modification
Right- theory has validity
What does empirical methods involve?
Using a method where you can physically see and measure the outcome
Why are empirical methods important?
Because its a more accurate measurement if we can physically see the method
How does empirical methods increase validity?
It allows us to see what it is measuring, increasing face validity
Which is the most empirical theory and why?
Biological approach, because it uses brain scans and measures neuro transmitters, all of which are empirical evidence
Which theory is the least empirical?
The psychodynamic approach because it uses the unconscious mind
What is falsifiability?
Where a theory or hypothesis must be empirically testable to see if it is false or not
Which approach would be considered not falsifiable?
The psychodynamic approach, we can’t see unconscious mind let alone prove or disprove it
Who suggested the meaning of the paradigm?
Thomas Kuhn (1962)
What did Thomas Kuhn say a paradigm was?
A shared set of assumptions, way of thinking and methods about a subject commonly accepted by members of a group
What is a paradigm shift?
When a group of researchers question the paradigm, then their critique gains popularity and pace.
