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Scientific research in psychology and other disciplines aims to achieve three primary objectives. The first is to describe phenomena through careful observation. The second is to predict future events by identifying systematic relationships between variables. The final objective is to explain these phenomena by determining their underlying causal mechanisms.

The Three Goals of Science

The initial and most fundamental objective of science is to describe phenomena. This goal is accomplished by conducting careful, rigorous, and systematic observations to accurately document what behaviors or events are occurring. This meticulous documentation forms the foundational basis required before researchers can attempt to predict future occurrences or explain underlying causes.

Descriptive Goal of Science

The second major objective of science is to predict. Once researchers have systematically observed that two events or behaviors regularly occur together, they can utilize this correlation to forecast whether an event will happen in a specific situation. Although these predictions may not be perfectly accurate, a strong relationship enables predictions that have a significantly greater than chance accuracy.

Predictive Goal of Science

The third and ultimate objective of science is to explain phenomena. This goal involves determining the precise causes of behavior by moving beyond mere observation and prediction. Researchers strive to uncover and isolate the underlying mechanisms and causal relationships to understand exactly why and how an event occurs.

Explanatory Goal of Science

The selection of a research methodology is fundamentally guided by the specific goals of the scientific inquiry. When a researcher's objective is to explain a phenomenon by establishing a causal relationship, an experimental approach is generally preferred. Conversely, when the research goal is simply to describe a variable or to predict outcomes based on naturally occurring associations, a non-experimental approach is the appropriate strategy.

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