PSYA01H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Falsifiability, Demand Characteristics, Hawthorne Effect
Document Summary
Objectivity: certain facts about the world can be observed and tested independently from the individuals who describe them. Subjective: their knowledge of the event is shaped by prior beliefs, expectations, experiences and even their mood. How scientific research is conducted: it is based on measurements that are objective, valid and reliable, it can be generalized, it uses techniques that reduce bias, it is made public, it can be replicated. Objective measurements: the measure of an entity or behavior that, within an allowed margin of error, is consistent across instruments and observers. The way that a quality or behavior is measured must be the same regardless of who is doing the measuring and the exact tool being used. Variable: the object, concept or event being measured. Operational definitions: statements that describe the procedures and specific measures that are used to record observations.
