PSYC 217 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Scientific Method, Empiricism, Testability
Document Summary
The scientific method is made up of four primary canons of science: determinism: the most fundamental assumption which assumes that there is a reason why everything happens. This is where the cause and effect relationships come into play. When you do one thing, something will follow: empiricism: we make observations, not assumptions and collect data to confirm or falsify our hypotheses and theories. If we don"t know anythign about a certain phenomenon, it"s hard to determine what the cause and effect relationships are: parismony: also known as occams razar. If the complex theory does a better job at bringing all the data together and explaining it, then we stick with that one to avoid oversimplification. You have to make sure all the info is encapsulated in the theory: testability: the ability to falsify a hypothesis; also, the simpler it is, the easier it is to falsify as there are fewer variables to test.
