Science uptake figures are 'science fiction', says report Labour has been accused of fiddling the figures on the number of students studying science and maths, covering up the nation's skills crisis. The Government now includes as "science", courses such as psychology. Telegraph, 27 September 2009 This is a hot topic!!

American Science philosopher What is a science? According to ‘Khun’ a science should have a set of shared….. Assumptions Scientific methods Terminology American Science philosopher 1922-1996

What are the assumptions of the approaches? Biological approach Behaviourist approach Cognitive approach Developmental approach Social approach Are any of these assumptions shared?

How many scientific methods can you recall? Lab experiment Structured Interview Field Experiment Unstructured Interview Quasi experiment Content Analysis Natural experiment Thematic Analysis Structured observation Meta Analysis Unstructured observation Participant observation Survey/questionnaire Can you order them from most to least scientific

Scientific method Deductive process Inductive process Example: the spontaneous generation theory Life emerges from non-living matter Make Observations Theory Inductive process Mice emerge from dirty socks Reject the theory No mice!!!! Deductive process Hypothesis Place dirty socks in a glass jar for a few days Experiment

Life emerges from non-living matter Furthermore.... A science should provide precise (operationalised) hypotheses which can be tested in order to support or refute a theory. Make up your own hypothesis – check with a partner to see if it is fully operationalised Falsification: something is "falsifiable" does not mean it is false; rather, that if it is false, then this can be shown by observation or experiment. Life emerges from non-living matter

and..... The theories should provide general laws or principles which should allow predictions to be made for future events. These should be internally consistent (parts of the same theory should not contradict each other) They should be nomothetic, they should apply to the whole population. Why then do some psychologists prefer an ideographic approach?

Do psychologists share terminology? Id Ego Superego unconscious Prejudice Neurotransmitter Conditioning Obedience Levels of processing Flashbulb memory Reinforcement Hormones Do psychologists share terminology?

Positivism Positivism is a philosophy that holds that the only authentic knowledge is that which is based on actual sense experience. Metaphysical speculation is avoided. The positivist view is sometimes referred to as the scientific ideology. In psychology, a positivistic approach is favoured by behaviourism . Positivists prefer methods that provide quantitative data rather than qualitative data. Experiments are –valued over self report and interviews etc