Week 1 - The Scientific Method I and II

Question 1

What is Psychology?

Answer 1

The “science of mental life” - looking at the basis and impact of mental states or the dynamic mental processes

Question 2

What is the Scientific Method?

Answer 2

Procedure for acquiring and testing knowledge through systematic observation or experimentations using empirical methods

Question 3

What are the 6 Key Principles of the Scientific Approach?

Answer 3

(A) Determinism and Discoverability
(B) Systematic Observations
(C) Public Knowledge
(D) Data Based Conclusions
(E) Empirical Observations
(F) Falsifiability

Question 4

(A) What is determinism and discoverability?

Answer 4

Determinism - all events have causes
Discoverability - these causes can be discovered

The ability to identify cause and study the relationship between cause and effect

Probabilistic Determinism - the effect is probable but not 100%

Question 5

(B) What are systematic observations?

Answer 5

Involves using:
- Precise definitions
- Reliable and valid measuring tools
- Acceptable research methodologies
- System of logic for drawing conclusions

Question 6

(C) What is ‘Public’ Knowledge

Answer 6

Should be verifiable by two or more observers
- Terms and procedures should be defined precisely so that others could repeat the study (replicable)

Question 7

(D) What are data-based conclusions? What are tentative conclusions?

Answer 7

Conclusions should be made on the basis of data (not opinions)

Tentative conclusions - facts don’t remain as facts for the rest of time (provisional approximations)

Question 8

(E) What are empirical observations

Answer 8

Questions that can be answered with DATA (highly operationalised)

Question 9

(F) What are falsifiable theories?

Answer 9

Can carry out data collection to demonstrate that a hypothesis is INCORRECT

Question 10

What are the goals of research in psychology?

Answer 10

Description

Prediction

Explanation

Application

Question 11

What are the 5 Qualities of Good Research?

Answer 11

1. Validity
   - Confidence that a given finding shows what it purports to show
2. Reliability
   - Our confidence that an empirical finding could be reproduced again and again if procedure repeated in the same way (isn’t just a chance occurrence
3. Public
   - Freely available to be scrutinised (peer review process)
4. Cumulative
   - Builds on existing knowledge, to develop previous insights
5. Parsimonious
   - Explanations should provide the simplest explanation of the facts - more explained in fewer principles

Question 12

What is a theory? How do you develop research from theory?

Answer 12

Theory: a set of statements summarising knowledge about a phenomenon and organising that knowledge in the form of relationships between variables

Develop hypotheses –> Design a study –> Collect and analyse the data –> Determine if study outcome is consistent with hypotheses (but remember this does not mean ‘proof’)

Question 13

How else can you develop research?

Answer 13

Serendipity - luck/chance

Replication and Extension - “I wonder if this is true today?”

Expanding on Other’s Research (different context and samples)

Observations

Applied Psychology -Everyday problems in need of a solution