Discuss The Scientific Method Of Analyzing Human Behavior (Essay Sample)

Behavioral Sciences
Kennedy
University
Abstract
Different researchers use different research methods to answer the same questions and end up producing different results or sometimes the same answers. In general, the different methods that people know or use to find answers and solutions are known as methods of acquiring knowledge.
This paper focuses on guidelines for conducting an effective literature research in the forensic psychology. Specifically in this paper the scientific method of research is explored and evaluated. The paper further looks into three expert written articles on forensic psychology and makes deductions from the articles based on the scientific method.
Scientific Method
Scientific method is a technique of acquiring knowledge which involves formulating questions and finding their answers. This is an approved method deemed to produce the most accurate answers possible. The scientific method involves the following steps;
Step 1: Observe Behavior or Phenomena
This step involves casual or informal observations which starts with a well-structured systematic investigation (Frederick & Lori-Ann, 2012). It can start with free observation of activities in your environment until some behavior or event catches your attention. Empiricism method can be employed to help in making observations based on past personal experiences. For example you can sit at the back of the class during a lecture and notice that the students around you do not seem to pay attention. Based on these observations you can start to wonder whether it is true that the bright students sit in the front rows.
At this stage, people begin to generalize beyond the actual observations, a process called induction which is an automatic human response (Frederick & Lori-Ann, 2012). For example, suppose you taste a green orange and discover that it is sour and the second and the third oranges you taste are also sour, your inductive reasoning exceeds the actual observation and you reach to a conclusion that all green oranges are sour. Also during the beginning of the winter season you might notice that you feel somehow depressed and as a result decide to find out whether your neighbors feel the same. After observing you find out that the other people seem to have the same feeling.
Step 2: Form a Tentative Answer or Explanation (Hypothesis)
This step begins by identifying other variables that are associated with your observation. Here you can identify variables based on a background research from the internet, the library or even from common sense (Frederick & Lori-Ann, 2012). For example, you can run a background research on other variables associated with winter and depression. From the research you can find out that weather and health issues may be behind people’s sadness and depression during the winter. The next stage is to select one variable to be analyzed in the research.
Step 3: Use the Hypothesis to Generate a Testable Prediction
This step involves taking the hypothesis and applying it in an observable real life situation (Frederick & Lori-Ann, 2012). For instance, if your hypothesis is that winter depression is as a result of darker environment then you could make a specific prediction that decreasing lighting in a hospital would make patients depressed. You could also predict that there is less depression during summer than during winter. It should be noted that a single hypothesis can lead to several predictions.
Step 4: Evaluate the Prediction by Making Systematic and Planned Observations
The aim in this step is to evaluate the prediction using direct observation of the actual data collected. This ensures an unbiased test of the research hypothesis is conducted by observing whether the prediction is correct. At this point observation and recording should be free from any personal interpretation.
Step 5: Use the Observation to Support, Refute or Refine the Original Hypothesis
This is the final step of the process and it involves comparing the actual observations and the predictions that were made from the hypothesis. At this point, the question of to which extend does the observations agree to the prediction should be answered. An agreement indicates that the hypothesis was correct while lack of agreement say that the hypothesis was wrong.
The scientific method continues the same series of steps over and over again. This is because observations lead to the hypothesis and the predictions which lead to more observations that in r...