Scientific status
Issues and debates
Worth asking: sciences attract great respect from the public and funding
from companies and governments
Objective: detached from what they are studying and don’t let their feelings
or emotions affect their conclusions
Replicable: repeat research and check results
Laws: make successful predictions about what will happen in real-life
situations
Reliable
well-designed with standardised procedures that can be replicated
accurately
Not: make on-the-spot decisions, use their imagination or bring personal bias
Valid
behaviour being studied is natural and realistic and not influenced by outside
factors
Not: lots of other possible explanations for the results that are just as
plausible as the one being offered
Issues and debates
Worth asking: sciences attract great respect from the public and funding
from companies and governments
Objective: detached from what they are studying and don’t let their feelings
or emotions affect their conclusions
Replicable: repeat research and check results
Laws: make successful predictions about what will happen in real-life
situations
Reliable
well-designed with standardised procedures that can be replicated
accurately
Not: make on-the-spot decisions, use their imagination or bring personal bias
Valid
behaviour being studied is natural and realistic and not influenced by outside
factors
Not: lots of other possible explanations for the results that are just as
plausible as the one being offered
