What makes an investigation scientific

All data must be accounted for, even if they invalidate the hypothesis. In order to ask an important question that may improve our understanding of the world, a researcher must first observe natural phenomena.

By making observations, a researcher can define a useful question. After finding a question to answer, the researcher can then make a prediction a hypothesis about what he or she thinks the answer will be. This prediction is usually a statement about the relationship between two or more variables.

After making a hypothesis, the researcher will then design an experiment to test his or her hypothesis and evaluate the data gathered. These data will either support or refute the hypothesis. Based on the conclusions drawn from the data, the researcher will then find more evidence to support the hypothesis, look for counter-evidence to further strengthen the hypothesis, revise the hypothesis and create a new experiment, or continue to incorporate the information gathered to answer the research question.

The use of the scientific method is one of the main features that separates modern psychology from earlier philosophical inquiries about the mind. Many of the concepts that psychologists are interested in—such as aspects of the human mind, behavior, and emotions—are subjective and cannot be directly measured. Psychologists often rely instead on behavioral observations and self-reported data, which are considered by some to be illegitimate or lacking in methodological rigor.

Applying the scientific method to psychology, therefore, helps to standardize the approach to understanding its very different types of information. The scientific method allows psychological data to be replicated and confirmed in many instances, under different circumstances, and by a variety of researchers. Through replication of experiments, new generations of psychologists can reduce errors and broaden the applicability of theories.

It also allows theories to be tested and validated instead of simply being conjectures that could never be verified or falsified. All of this allows psychologists to gain a stronger understanding of how the human mind works. Scientific articles published in journals and psychology papers written in the style of the American Psychological Association i. These papers include an Introduction, which introduces the background information and outlines the hypotheses; a Methods section, which outlines the specifics of how the experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis; a Results section, which includes the statistics that tested the hypothesis and state whether it was supported or not supported, and a Discussion and Conclusion, which state the implications of finding support for, or no support for, the hypothesis.

Writing articles and papers that adhere to the scientific method makes it easy for future researchers to repeat the study and attempt to replicate the results. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Researching Psychology.

Notice that the definition has two parts. These are the facts that you learn in science class such as the formula for photosynthesis or the different types of chemical reactions. However, science is more than facts. Science is a process. It is a way of observing, a way of thinking, and a way of knowing about the world.

The goal of science is to provide explanations for events that happen in nature. Scientists use those explanations to understand patterns in nature and make predictions about future events. Scientists use three types of investigations to research and develop explanations for events in the nature: descriptive investigation , comparative investigation , and experimental investigation.

As you learned in section one of this lesson, there are three main types of investigations used by scientists. Click on each colored box below to learn more about each type of investigation. They allow research and therefore knowledge claims to be evaluated. The following criteria are commonly used to evaluate scientific research Bryman In certain instances and particularly where a research study is not seeking to extrapolate statistical findings beyond the research context, the criteria of trustworthiness has been suggested as a means to ensure the integrity of conclusions.

All the criteria above are judged by perceived rigour in method; that is confidence that the researcher has followed accepted procedures to ensure to the fullest that the conclusions reached are robust. To achieve confidence in the results of a study demands 'disciplined inquiry' such that the data, arguments, and reasoning are able to withstand examination by other members of the scientific community Punch Your browser does not support Javascript.

You should still be able to navigate through these materials but selftest questions will not work. Unit 1 Introduction to research.