The Scientific Method
Psychologists use the scientific method to
conduct their research. The scientific method is a
standardized way of making observations, gathering data, forming theories,
testing predictions, and interpreting results.
Researchers make observations in order to
describe and measure behavior. After observing certain events repeatedly,
researchers come up with a theory that explains these observations. A theory is
an explanation that organizes separate pieces of information in a coherent way.
Researchers generally develop a theory only after they have collected a lot of
evidence and made sure their research results can be reproduced by others.
Example: A psychologist
observes that some college sophomores date a lot, while others do not. He
observes that some sophomores have blond hair, while others have brown hair. He
also observes that in most sophomore couples at least one person has brown
hair. In addition, he notices that most of his brown-haired friends date
regularly, but his blond friends don’t date much at all. He explains these
observations by theorizing that brown-haired sophomores are more likely to date
than those who have blond hair. Based on this theory, he develops a hypothesis
that more brown-haired sophomores than blond sophomores will make dates with
people they meet at a party. He then conducts an experiment to test his
hypothesis. In his experiment, he has twenty people go to a party, ten with
blond hair and ten with brown hair. He makes observations and gathers data by
watching what happens at the party and counting how many people of each hair
color actually make dates. If, contrary to his hypothesis, the blond-haired
people make more dates, he’ll have to think about why this occurred and revise
his theory and hypothesis. If the data he collects from further experiments
still do not support the hypothesis, he’ll have to reject his theory.
Making Research
Scientific
Psychological research, like research in other
fields, must meet certain criteria in order to be considered scientific.
Research must be:
·
Replicable
·
Falsifiable
·
Precise
·
Parsimonious
Research Must Be
Replicable
Research is replicable when
others can repeat it and get the same results. When psychologists report what
they have found through their research, they also describe in detail how they
made their discoveries. This way, other psychologists can repeat the research
to see if they can replicate the findings.
After psychologists do their research and make
sure it’s replicable, they develop a theory and translate the theory into a
precise hypothesis. A hypothesis is a testable prediction of
what will happen given a certain set of conditions. Psychologists test a
hypothesis by using a specific research method, such asnaturalistic
observation, a case study, a survey, or an experiment.
If the test does not confirm the hypothesis, the psychologist revises or
rejects the original theory.
A Good Theory
A good theory must do
two things: organize many observations in a logical way and allow researchers
to come up with clear predictions to check the theory.
Research Must Be Falsifiable
A good theory or
hypothesis also must be falsifiable, which means that it must be
stated in a way that makes it possible to reject it. In other words, we have to
be able to prove a theory or hypothesis wrong. Theories and hypotheses need to
be falsifiable because all researchers can succumb to the confirmation bias.
Researchers who display confirmation bias look for and accept
evidence that supports what they want to believe and ignore or reject evidence
that refutes their beliefs.
Example: Some people theorize
that the Loch Ness Monster not only exists but has become intelligent enough to
elude detection by hiding in undiscovered, undetectable, underwater caves. This
theory is not falsifiable. Researchers can never find these undiscovered caves
or the monster that supposedly hides in them, and they have no way to prove
this theory wrong.
Research Must Be Precise
By stating hypotheses
precisely, psychologists ensure that they can replicate their own and others’
research. To make hypotheses more precise, psychologists use operational
definitions to define the variables they study. Operational definitionsstate
exactly how a variable will be measured.
Example: A psychologist
conducts an experiment to find out whether toddlers are happier in warm weather
or cool weather. She needs to have an operational definition of happiness so
that she can measure precisely how happy the toddlers are. She might
operationally define happiness as “the number of smiles per hour.”
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