The term “method” literally translated: “following a way” (from the Greek μέτα, “along,” and όδός, “way”), refers to the specification of steps which must be taken, in a given order, to achieve a given end. For our purposes, methodology encompasses the procedures and practices of conducting and designing research so that reliable, valid and lawful relations can be identified.
At PsychLaw.net we teach that Methodology is not merely a compilation of specific practices, procedures, or strategies. Methodology refers to a way of thinking. Methodology teaches us ways to think about the relations between variables, about causes and effects, and about conclusions drawn from theory, research, and experience. In the behavioral sciences, the scientific method is specifically geared toward learning about an organism’s behavior by observing that behavior, while minimizing the influences of bias or opinion. A method is applied because mere observation is not enough. The scientific method is more rational than other human activities, highly rule-bound, very self-critical and consciously aiming at self-consistency.
In science, just as in court, it is the evidence supporting a statement that is most important. The scientific method provides the most convincing evidence, because instead of relying on mere observation or opinions or intuitions, it is based on the actual events themselves as they occur in nature.
For behavioral scientists, the claim to be scientific rests on the methods used in setting up appropriate experiments or in gathering relevant evidence and also on the willingness to submit the results to scrutiny. The distinction between science and pseudo-science is therefore essentially one of method, rather than content.
A common feature of pseudo-science is the use of analogies or resemblances to suggest causal connections, but without being able to specify or give direct evidence for them. The most obvious example of a pseudo-science is astrology. Astronomy is regarded as a science because it is based on observations and statistical analysis of those observations. Astrology, however, is not considered a science, because it is based on a mythological scheme with an annual cycle of ‘signs’.
It is important to remember that science happens in a scientific community. Peer interaction, in the form of repeating and building upon one another’s experiments, testing and elaborating one another’s theories, is essential for the self-corrective aspect of science.[i]
[i] Hamad, Stevan (1979) Creative Disagreement, 19 Sciences 18.