RM- Features of science

Question 1

What is science?

Answer 1

Science is a systematic approach to creating knowledge.

Question 2

What is psychology?

Answer 2

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour.

Question 3

What are the key features of science?

Answer 3

• Objectivity
• Empirical methods
• Replicability
• Falsibility
• Hypothesis testing
• Paradigm

Question 4

What is objectivity?

Answer 4

Objectivity is dealing with facts in a way that is unaffected by beliefs, opinions, feelings or expectations. (Being non biased)

Question 5

What is an empirical method?

Answer 5

An empirical method involves the use of objective, quantatitive observation in a systemically controlled, replicable situation, in order to test or refine a theory. E,g experiment

Question 6

What is replicability?

Answer 6

Replicability is the extent to which findings of research can be repeated in different contexts and circumstances. (&whether similar findings can be found)

Question 7

What is the purpose of replicability?

Answer 7

1) Guarding against scientific fraud
2) Researchers can check if results gained were “one off” possibly caused by extraneous/confounding variables.
3) If research findings can be repeated, we would say that findings are reliable
4) Replicability can also indicate that research findings are valid.

Question 8

What is falsibility? (defined by POPPER IN 1969)

Answer 8

• Falsibility is the notion that scientific theories can potentially be disapproved by evidence.
• Refers to proving a hypothesis wrong.

Question 9

What did Popper state?

Answer 9

• Popper stated that genuine scientific theories should be tested and can also be proven to be false or incorrect (falsifiability)
• Theories or ideas can be falsified and this occurs when other research or theories have failed to support it or have severely contradicted it

Question 10

What did falsiability add to?

Answer 10

Falsifiability adds to the credibility of the science

Question 11

What is a theory?

Answer 11

A theory is a collection of general principles that explain observations and facts

Question 12

How are theories constructed?

Answer 12

Via hypothesis testing and re-testing

Question 13

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 13

Involves having a theory first, then devising a hypothesis.

• Researchers then test this theory using empirical methods such as experiments/observations.
• Once the theory has been tested, conclusions are drawn from the data.

Question 14

What is the hypothetico-deductive model and who devised it?

Answer 14

Popper suggested that theories/laws about the world should come first and then hypothesis should be generated and tested to see if the theory/law is correct.

Question 15

What are the stages in deductive reasoning?

Answer 15

1) Observation
2) Propose theory
3) Testable hypothesis
4) Conduct a study to test hypothesis
5) Draw conclusions

Question 16

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 16

When the researcher observes some aspect of behaviour, and creates a hypothesis.

• The hypothesis is then tested, and conclusions are drawn from the research.
• From conclusions the theory is generated.

Question 17

What are the stages in inductive reasoning?

Answer 17

1) Observation
2) Testable hypothesis
3) Conduct a study to test hypothesis
4) Draw conclusions
5) Propose theory

Question 18

What is a paradigm?

Answer 18

A paradigm is a shared set of assumptions and agreed methods found within scientific disciplines.

Question 19

What did Kuhn suggest?

Answer 19

“What distinguishes scientific and non-scientific disciplines is the presence of paradigms”

Question 20

When does a paradigm shift occur?

Answer 20

When a significant change in the dominant unifying theory of a scientific discipline occurs.

Question 21

Which two stages does a paradigm shift occur in?

Answer 21

1) One theory remains dominant within scientific discipline. Some researchers question it and have contradictory research which disagrees with the main paradigm. Counter evidence begins to accumulate and critics gain popularity. The present paradigm might be overthrown due to the emergence of a new one.
2) An established science makes rapid progress and a scientific revolution occurs due to paradigm shift.

Question 22

Give an example of a paradigm shift.

Answer 22

• The paradigm used to be that people thought that the Earth was at the centre of the universe.
• Copernicus was responsible for a paradigm shift. He found that the Sun was at the centre of the universe.