RESEARCH METHODS
The Nature of
Science
WHAT IS SCIENCE?
 You
can’t study psychology without
being aware of what science is (Dyer
2006)
Learning Objectives
 You will need to identify the key
features of science.
 You will need to be able to
distinguish science and non-science.
THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
KARL POPPER
Falsification:
The process of proving
an hypothesis incorrect.
This is the only way
that Scientific
knowledge can be built
up.
WHAT IS SCIENCE?
According to Williams (2000) science
is the practice of generalising from
observations to form a rational
explanation…a theory of a particular
part of the world and then testing that
theory by experiment, rejecting it if it
does not match up and accepting it if
it does.
BALONEY DETECTION KIT BY CARL SAGAN
Carl Sagan referred to
science as a candle in
the dark of the demon
haunted world.
 “Science is a way of
thinking much more
than it is a body of
knowledge.”

WHAT IS SCIENCE?
 Science
is a method for obtaining
information about the world in an
objective manner.
 It is empirical: that means that
experience or evidence are central to how
we obtain the information.
 Science is replicable. The procedures can
be reproduced and repeated.
 Science is rational. That is it is based on
reason.
EMPIRICAL METHOD AND
DEDUCTIVE REASONING
1.The
Hypothesis
3a. Not
supported
3b. Supported
2. Test
hypothesis
Theory
IN (OTHER) WORDS
 By
employing empirical methods we
can develop hypotheses which we
can go out to test.
 We are engaging in deductive
reasoning, we have a theory or
hypothesis that we assume to be
correct we test it in various ways to
see if it stands up.
 Sometimes called the hypotheticodeductive method.
IN OTHER WORDS AGAIN
1. The hypothesis: this is a testable statement,
based on the aims of our research.
 2.Test hypothesis: We test it with appropriate
methods.
 3a. Do Not support Hypothesis: We go back to
drawing board and rethink the hypothesis.
 3b: Supported: if the results of number 2 are
supportive we move on to the final stage.
 4. The theory: this allows us to support or modify
a theory.

SCIENCE VERSUS NON-SCIENCE
Science
 Findings found in
journals that are peer
reviewed.
 Results can be
replicated.
 Over time we learn
more.
 Evidence based.
 Old ideas are abandoned
when new evidence is
found.
 Does not advocate or
market unproven
practices or products
Non-Science (pseudo science)
Findings made
available to the general
public.
 Results not able to be
replicated.
 No progress made.
 Faith based or appeals
to belief.
 Original idea is never
abandoned no matter
what-ever the evidence.
 Questionable products
marketed.

Reading extension
Bad Science - Ben Goldacre
 How to lie with statistics - Derrel Huff
 Counter-knowledge - Damien Thompson
 Why people believe weird things - Michael Shermer.

SCIENCE AND NON SCIENCE
Common Sense explanations.
 From our own ideas about what is true about the
world.
 Rarely tested.
 Based on limited information
 Based on intuition.
 Ask people the question about whether or not
they would give somebody 450 volts of electricity
in an experiment. Belief based.
 These may be religious, political or personal.
 Can be based on little or no evidence.
 Can be claimed to be true even when faced with
contradictory evidence.

507
PSEUDOSCIENCE IS FALSE SCIENCE

Presented as scientific even though it is not.

Pseudo science is vague and not easily replicated.

Pseudoscience is published in non-verified
sources i.e. the internet.
THE SCIENTIFIC PROCESS – Key
ideas




The scientific method – uses Induction and
Deduction. There is a The research cycle.
The scientific method is known as Hypotheticodeductive method
According to Karl Popper, a theory is scientific
only in so far as it is falsifiable, and should be
given up as soon as it is falsified.
Popper suggests that the trying to disprove a
theory often strengthens it.
Scientists share a set of assumptions about the
the subject matter and the methods used to study
it. This is known as a paradigm.
 These assumptions limit the types of questions
that they ask.
 In light of new information sometimes there are
Paradigm shifts.
 Psychology has no single paradigm

Create a poster to show the
difference between real science
and pseudoscience – use key
terms