Features of Science

• 6 features of science

  empirical methods, objectivity, replicability, theory construction, hypothesis testing,falsifiability
• empirical method


  objectivity = basis of the empirical method → a method of gaining knowledge relying on direct observation or testing
• objectivity


  when all sources of personal bias are minimised so as not to distort or influence the research process
• replicability


  the extent to which scientific procedures and findings can be repeated by other researchers - increases the reliability and validity of a study
• theory construction


  explanations or theories must be constructed to make sense of facts. a theory is a collection of general principles that explain observations and facts
• hypothesis testing


  process of modifying theories by testing their validity. if a scientist fails to find support for a hypothesis, the theory requires modification
• falsifiability


  the possibility that a statement or hypothesis can be proved wrong
• why falsifiability is important in science


  karl popper → the only way to prove a theory correct was to seek disproof (falsification)
• paradigm


  a set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline
• paradigm shift


  the result of a scientific revolution- a significant change in the dominant unifying theory within a scientific discipline
• example of a paradigm shift in science


  a revolution in our understanding of the universe due to work of a Polish astronomer- overthrew the belief that the earth was the centre of the universe