features of science Flashcards
objectivity
all sources of personal bias are minimised so not to distort or influence the research process
empirical method
scientific approaches that are based on gathering of evidence through direct observation and experience
reliability
the extent to which scientific procedures and findings can be repeated by other researchers
falsifiability
the principle that a theory cannot be considered scientific unless it admits the possibility of being proved untrue
theory construction
the process of developing an explanation for the causes of behaviour by systematically gathering evidence and then organising this into a coherent account (theory)
hypothesis testing
a key feature of a theory is that it should produce statements (hypotheses) which can then be tested
only in this way can a theory be falsified
paradigm
a set of shared assumptions and agreed methods within a scientific discipline
paradigm shift
the result of a scientific revolution where there is a significant change in the dominant unifying theory within a scientific discipline
paradigm shifts - mark scheme
a paradigm is a set of shared assumptions/ beliefs about how behaviour/thought is studied
a shift occurs where members of a scientific community change from one established way of explaining.studying a behaviour due to a new/contradictory evidence
eg shifting the focus
this shift leads to a scientific revolution
empirical
gathering of evidence through direct observation and experience
Kuhn
Thomas Kuhn suggested that what distinguishes scientific disciplines from non-scientific disciplines is a shared of set assumptions and methods - a paradigm
social sciences lack a universally accepted paradigm - pre-science
natural sciences
characterised by having a number of principles at their core eg theory of evolution in biology
science model answer
- objectivity and empirical method
- replicability and falsifiability
- theory construction and hypothesis testing
- paradigms and paradigm shifts
