features of science

• paradigms are a set of assumptions and methods that distinguishes scientific disciples from non-scientific disciples. Social sciences lack a universally accepted paradigm and are seen as pre-science
• a theory is a set of general laws/principles that have the ability to explain particular events/behaviours. Testing a theory depends on being able to make clear and precise statements (hypotheses) on the basis of the theory. A hypothesis can then be tested using scientific methods to determine whether it will be supported or refuted. The process of depriving a new hypothesis from a existing theory is known as deduction
• Popper argued that the key criterion of a scientific theory is its falsifiability. Genuine scientific theories should hold themselves up for hypothesis testing and the possibility of being proves false. Popper distinguished between theories which can be tested and falsified, and what he called pseudosciences which couldn't be falsified
• if a scientific theory is to be trusted, the findings from it must be shown to be repeatable across a number of different context. By repeating a study, as Popper suggested, we can see the extent to which the findings can be generalised
• scientific researchers must keep a critical distance during research. They must not allow their personal opinions or biases to discolour the data or influence the behaviour of participants
• empirical methods emphasise the importance of data collection based on direct, sensory experience. The experimental method and the observational method are good examples of the empirical method is psychology. Early empiricists saw knowledge as determined only be experience and sense perception. A theory cannot claim to be scientific unless it has been empirically tested