PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Scientific Method, Naturalistic Observation, Blind Experiment

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

To test a theory you must first generate a hypothesis. A good hypothesis should be able to be disproved. Verifiability : if it can be tested by others. Objectivity : the theory is verifiable if it can be tested by others. The scientific method is sometimes referred to as empiricism (the philosophical view that we obtain all knowledge through observable facts and experiences) Any fact or experience must be verifiable ( mean it can be replicated) Scientific studies should also be objective, a result is objective if it is based on. ) problem is that it does not create replicable observations because different people interpret different things. A term used to describe things that are experienced by most individuals in a similar manner. Steps in the scientific method: formulate a hypothesis, design a study, collect the data, analyze the data and obtain results, draw conclusions from the results a. Memory" is operationally defined as how many items you can recall.