¶ … scientific method include a reliance on the empirical approach toward acquiring knowledge, and the skeptical attitude that scientists adopt toward explanations of behavior and mental processes (5). The empirical approach entails relying on direct observation and on objectivity. Once a scientist observes an object or a phenomenon and describes the phenomenon using clearly defined terms, he or she will probably formulate a hypothesis. The hypothesis is generally designed to provide a testable explanation for the phenomenon. Next, the scientist constructs an experiment and uses the hypothesis to predict the results. Finally, the scientist performs tests. The results should ideally be published in scientific journals so that other scientists can replicate the study and subject the hypothesis to the same scrutiny.
The skeptical attitude that scientists adopt assumes that they will accept nothing in the absence of scientific proof. The scientist takes care not to jump to conclusions too early and only relies on hard evidence when reaching conclusions. When encountering new studies, the scientist will make sure that the research has been replicated and validated. The scientist also remains skeptical by only accepting evidence from reputable, trustworthy sources.
Although scientists try to keep open minds, they also must take care to not jump to erroneous conclusions. Skepticism means testing ideas before believing them, relying more on objective measuring instruments than on subjectivity. Eliminating subjectivity in the field of psychology can be especially difficult, which is why scientists try to devise operational definitions that serve the purposes of individual studies.
2. Early psychologists chose the empirical approach as a favored method for psychological investigations because it relies on direct observation rather than on intuition or superstition; and because it relies on experimentation to gather results. Psychology is a relatively new field. One of the main reasons why psychologists favored the empirical approach was to gain acceptance into the broader scientific community, and to ensure that the theories that they developed could be tested and replicated. Behaviorism was perfectly suited for the scientific method because behaviors can be easily measured and observed. Through the empirical models, the human subject can be treated almost as a lab animal, and the variables of the study carefully controlled. Also,...
proponents of evidence based instruction represent one end of the methods of teaching continuum where practices that have been tested empirically using rigorous research designs are considered to be the only valid method of instruction (Odom et al., 2005). On the other end of the spectrum are methods that may be have some basis for use such an intuition, theory, etc. But have not been subject to empirical scrutiny
Reliance on GMOs and Biotechnology and Potential Environmental and Health Consequences The modern consumer may not be aware of what it is that he or she is actually buying when they go out to the grocery store. When they pick up an apple or tomato, they might very well be purchasing a myriad of chemicals which the producers of that product have inserted into the food. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are
With the conceptual tools offered by psychology, we now can, for instance, more readily investigate the effects of mistreatment on children's development. My concern regarding the general disharmony of the relationship between adult and child stems from the awareness that we adults have the inclination to view the child as grossly inadequate. In our misguided efforts to help them, we downplay the significance of what the children themselves find applicable
The strengths of this design are related to the ease of application and usage. The design of the survey was easy to administer and self explanatory. While the weakness was related to the willingness of the participant to Chapter Three 5 participate complete the survey and provide truthful responses. An additional weakness is relative to the age group that was present for the survey and their relationship to the use of
This reduces response bias for better reliability of the information gathered and a higher anticipated response rate for an adequate sample size. A one month time frame gives better assurance of an appropriate response rate adequate analysis of results. Research Questions Patient wait time: How long did you wait before being register? < 5 min, 5 min, 10 min, longer How long did you wait to be called after being registered? <
Psychographics is a method by which one can analyze and understand a social group and whereby one could get information about the psychological response to given situations by particular groups or individual persons. Psychographics is understood as a medium for understanding the diverse beliefs, opinions and interests of customers.1. It is also defined as profiling the perception, attitudes, feelings and preferences of customers and understanding the mental processes of customers
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