The Key Characteristics Of Good Science

Important characteristics of good science are precision and reliance on empirical evidence, skepticism, allowing “risky” predictions, and openness. Precision and reliance on empirical evidence are based on theories, hypotheses, and operational definitions. Theories are systems of assumptions and principles that try to explain a specific set of phenomena. When scientists launch an investigation, it always starts out with a theory. Hypotheses are then formed from theories. Hypotheses are precise statements that describe or explain a given human behavior. These statements may start off vague, but can be made precise through rephrasing. A hypothesis leads to predictions about what will happen in a particular situation. In a prediction, some terms may be given operational definitions. Operational definitions summarize the way terms will be measured and studied in a particular research project. The predictions can be tested through systematic methods.

For a theory to be plausible, it must be backed by empirical evidence. Skepticism is used as a way of treating claims and research findings with caution. Rather than accepting claims, psychological scientists conduct experiments. Skepticism is not simply about discrediting some claim, but showing why the claim is invalid so other, better methods can replace it. Skepticism and caution must be balanced by an openness to new ideas and evidence. Without balance, a scientist may wind up short-sighted. A reliance on both skepticism and empirical evidence is important to science, but a characteristic just as important is a willingness to make “risky” predictions. This means that scientists should state their hypothesis in such a way that it is able to be discredited and or refuted. The hypothesis does not have to be discredited, but if there were opposing evidence proving the hypothesis wrong it could be. This rule is called the principle of falsifiability. A willingness to make these “risky” predictions teaches the scientist how to take on negative evidence seriously and abandon or fix their broken hypotheses.

Many of us though ignore the principle of falsifiability because we have a confirmation bias, which gives us the tendency to reject ideas and evidence opposing our own beliefs. To challenge the confirmation bias, one must be able to think critically. Scientists must be will to tell others of their ideas; where they got them, how they tested them, and what the results are. This is important because other scientists need to be able to replicate their studies and either verify or challenge their findings. Repeating experiments helps sort out the “phenomenons” and the flukes. Openness helps scientists to think critically and ask questions or consider other interpretations. And until a scientist’s findings have been replicated and approved by other scientists, they must be able to tolerate uncertainty. Different types of descriptive studies are case studies, observational studies, tests, and surveys. Case studies are detailed descriptions of individuals being studied and or tested. Case studies can include information about a person’s life; their childhood, dreams, fantasies, experiences, relationships, or anything else that can interpret a person’s behavior. They can also be helpful in exploring new research topics or addressing questions that would otherwise be difficult to study. Case studies can be helpful, but have more serious drawbacks than not.

Information in case studies can often be hard to interpret or missing, or the observer has certain biases that influence which facts are noticed or overlooked. This method had very limited usefulness for insight of a person’s behavior. Observational studies are studies in which researchers systematically observe, measure, and record behavior. Researchers, however, are able to do this without interfering in any way with a person’s behavior. An observational study is often the first step in a cycle of research because you should have a good definition of behavior before trying to explain it. The purpose of a primary observation is to find out how people act in normal social environments. Primary observations can take place anywhere your test subjects are - school, office spaces, playground, etc. In these kinds of observations, the researchers are not interfering in any way with the subject’s behavior, but simply observing and recording behavior. In laboratory observation, researchers have more control over the experiment; they can determine how many people will be observed and maintain a clear view of the findings. There is a fallback when it comes to laboratory observation. A lot of people might act differently once they know they are being observed or tested than in a natural setting.

Observational studies are more useful for describing behavior than for explaining it. Psychological tests are used to measure and evaluate personality traits, emotional states, aptitudes, interests, abilities, and values. A good test is one that has been standardized, scored using established norms, reliable, and valid. Reliability measures the consistency of scores from one to another. Psychologists can measure test-retest reliability by giving a second test to the same group of people and then comparing the scores of the two tests. If the test is reliable, the answers will be the same. There is only one drawback to test-retest reliability and that is a lot of people do better on a test the second time around because of familiarity. A solution is alternate-forms reliability where people are given different versions of the same test. Validity is approving that a test is measuring what it is intended to. Most tests are judges on criterion validity. Surveys are questionnaires or interviews that ask people directly about their experiences, attitudes, and opinions. Surveys provide a lot of data, but are not easy to perform accurately and precisely. This is because of a volunteer bias or unrepresentative samples. Volunteer bias is a shortcoming of findings based on people who are willing to volunteer who may have differing opinions than people who are not willing to volunteer.