Describe what it means when psychologists state that scientific theories must be supported by empirical evidence.

Answer:

Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: In order for a fact or hypothesis to be considered scientific, it must be falsifiable; if it were not falsifiable, it would mean it wasn’t testable or replicable and therefore was not based on objective observation. Anything which cannot be tested is not able to be tested by the scientific method and cannot be used to build more complicated theories. Responses may vary but should include some or all of the following information: Stating that a scientific theory must be supported by empirical evidence means that the theory must be supported by testing it out through research. If research results demonstrate that the psychological claim has been backed by data in a significant manner then accuracy for the theory is established and the theory is said to be backed by empirical evidence.