OCR Psychology: Features of Science Certification Review Questions And Answers Latest Updated Exam.

Replicability - correct answer Being able to repeat a study and obtain the same results. Why replicability is important - correct answer 1. Scientific evidence needs to be consistent. If the investigation produces the same results when replicated, it is likely to be valid and reliable. 2. If a study is not repeatable the results cannot be verified to be true (validity). 3. The results may imply flaws or lack of control within the method and are therefore of limited use in theory construction. Objectivity - correct answer This means being unbiased in conducting a study, so that the data collected are independent of the researchers' individual perspective or is not subjective. How objectivity can be achieved - correct answer Psychologists use: standardized instructions, operationalized variables, physical measures of performance. These ensure the researcher is not affecting the outcome. If data is not objective it is...? - correct answer Subjective. This means the viewpoint is likely to be biased and is not independent of the situation. Empirical methods - correct answer Information that has been gathered through methods based on direct experience, such as experiments and observation. The opposite is based on intuition and is not provable. Falsifiability - correct answer A theory is scientific if it makes clear predictions that can be objectively tested and could be shown to be wrong by the evidence. The longer a person goes in trying to prove themselves wrong, without doing so, helps to prove that they are right. Operationalization - correct answer A science should provide hypotheses, aims and variables that are clearly defined, to ensure a theory is replicable. Objective - correct answer Assumes that certain facts about the world can be observed and tested independently from the individual who describes them. Free from personal opinions. Subjective - correct answer People's knowledge of an event is shaped by prior beliefs, expectations, experiences and even their mood. Scientific method - correct answer A way of learning about the world through collecting observations, developing theories to explain them, and using the theories to make predictions. Hypothesis - correct answer A testable prediction about the processes that can be observed and measured. Pseudoscience - correct answer An idea that is presented as science but does not actually use basic principles of scientific thinking or procedure. Theory - correct answer An explanation for a broad range of observations that generates new hypotheses and integrates numerous findings into a coherent whole. Process of scientific research - correct answer Make a theory, then a hypothesis, then observe to see if this is true. Good scientific theory - correct answer 1) Explains all relevant data well, 2) A good theory is a causal theory (shows the cause of behavior), 3) is testable, 4) can be falsifiable (unlike Freud's theories which are not). Induction / inductive reasoning - correct answer Reasoning from specific instances to general principles. Psychologists sometimes make general statements about behavior based on making many controlled observations under a variety of conditions. Deduction / deductive reasoning - correct answer Reasoning from general to specific instances. Psychologists frequently make a general statement (theory) and use this to create specific predictions (hypotheses) which are then tested by actual controlled observations. 4 goals of psychological science - correct answer Description, Prediction, Explanation, Application. To describe behavior, to predict behavior, to explain behavior, to apply understanding to real life.