Wize University Psychology Textbook > Research Methods in Psychology
Why Do We Need Science?
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Why Do We Need Science?
Science is the use of systematic observation to acquire knowledge and information.
- Systematic observation involves measuring in an organized way and recording our results to avoid biases as much as possible
- Observations lead to hypotheses that we can test.
- Science is democratic - there are debates and competing findings as we try to sort out the truth
- Science is cumulative - we are always building on a foundation of prior knowledge
Dogmatism - the tendency to stick to beliefs and assumptions
Empiricism - the belief that accurate knowledge can be acquired through observation
Hypothesis vs. Theory
Hypothesis - a prediction about what will happen, based on existing evidence and the research question.
Example: If people are given a moderate dose of caffeine, headaches will decrease.
Theory - an explanation for a phenomenon, based on supporting evidence from a range of studies.
Example: headaches are caused by constriction of the blood vessels in the brain
Watch Out!
Note the difference between the popular usage of "theory" and the scientific usage!
A hypothesis or theory must be:
- Testable - it must be possible to test the theory through scientific methods
- Falsifiable - it must be possible for there to be disconfirming evidence. We don't actually have to find that evidence, but there must be a possibility of it being found
Example: If I told you that there are invisible, silent dragons in my garage that can pass through walls and other solid masses, do not emit heat or any other pattern that is measurable, and cannot be detected by any known method, that would not be falsifiable - anything you said to contradict my belief could be rejected.
Watch Out!
A theory or hypothesis is never "proven" - it is supported/confirmed or rejected/disconfirmed. If you see the word "proven" in a multiple choice question about a theory or hypothesis it is usually an incorrect distractor item.
Practice: Why Do We Need Science?
In his research on social interactions, Dr. Myers anticipates that people of the same gender will interact more with each other than they will with people of different genders. He then conducts research to test this idea. Dr. Myers' prediction is an example of a(n) ________.