Features of a Science

• Objectivity = all sources of personal bias are minimised to not distort/influence the research process
• Empirical Method = scientific approaches aided by direct observation and experimentation.
• Replicability = the ability to repeat the experiment and get the same results using other/the same researchers.
• Falsifiability = the principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possiblitiy of being proven false
• Paradigm = a set of shared ideas & assumptions within a scientific discipline
• Paradigm Shift = a significant change in these central assumptions wihtin a scientific study due to a scientific revolution
• Theory = a set of ideas that explain a phenomenon and predicts future behaviour.
• Theory Construction = the process of developing a theory from a set of direct observations during investigations.
• Deduction = deriving new hypotheses from an already existing theory
• Arguments for Psychology as a Science

  • Produces intuitive results
  • Findings positively impact society/individuals
  • Scientific methods used resulting in scientific credibility
• Arguments against Psychology as a Science

  • Experiment interpretations can be subjective
  • Not all research is generalisable (eg case studies)
  • Psychologists sometimes make inferences about behaviour
• Hypothesis testing = a statistical procedure that allows us to test whether a difference between two groups is due to chance or to a real difference