Comprehensive Guide to Scientific Method and Psychological Research

Scientific method

A process involving critical thinking, data comprehension, communication, and research skills to understand natural phenomena.

Critical thinking

The ability to assess situations and determine if a particular solution is a good one.

Empirical

Science is measurable and based on objective experiences and reproducible evidence.

Falsifiable

A theory that can be proven false through testing.

Provisional

Knowledge that is open to revision based on new evidence.

Public

Science should benefit the general public and society as a whole.

Psychological science

The science of the mind and behavior, including how humans and animals think, feel, and behave.

Pseudoscience

Claims that appear scientific but do not comply with the scientific method.

Good research question

A question that tests a theory or explores data to generate theories.

Variables

Conditions in an experiment or characteristics that can take on different categories, levels, or values.

Predictor variable

An explanatory variable that predicts the outcome variable.

Outcome variable

A variable that is measured and observes behaviors or physiological responses.

Constructs

Hypothetical variables in psychological research that are not directly observable.

Operational definition

A description of the procedures by which a construct is observed or measured.

Construct validity

The degree to which an operational definition measures the construct of interest.

Face validity

The apparent soundness of a test or measure based on its content.

Research questions

Questions that determine the design of a study.

Frequency research

Research focusing on statistics with only one variable.

Associative/correlational research

Research about the relationship between two or more measured variables.

Experimental research

Research that manipulates one variable to observe its effect on another variable.

Research designs

The structure that determines the type of claims that can be made from a study.

Claims

Statements that can be made based on the results of a study.