Psychology as a science Qs

Give me an example?

A key part in the structure of a science it is that it is falsifiable. Freud's personality theory was criticised for not being falsifiable and therefore not scientific

Who supported Freud's research and why?

Fisher and Greenberg (1996) argued that Freud's work should be evaluated in terms of specific hypotheses rather than as a whole

A further example of a standardised procedure?

Gardner and Gardner (1969) - observers needed standardised procedure in order to avoid bias and subjectivity - increased validity - made their research scientific

Who is against psychology being a science and why?

Kuln (1962) said psychology couldn't be considered a science because it does not have a single paradigm, like other sciences

Famous example of use of lab?

Milgram (1963) - standardised procedure led to replicability, increasing reliability and eliminating culture and historical bias

Who was against making psychological research scientific and why?

Miller (1993) - In attempting to make psychology scientific it is simply 'dressed up' and using scientific method does not automatically make a study scientific nor should the results be taken as facts (it would be dangerous to)

What is good about his research?

Some evidence found to support Freud's concepts and his work helped shaped psychology as a whole - he was the founder of psychoanalysis; a method of treating mental illness and also a theory which explains human behaviour

What makes you think it would be dangerous?

Asch (1951)

What makes you think it would be dangerous?

Asch (1951) - studies levels of conformity but wasn't not representative of conformity in every day situations so dangerous to generalise results as it may not correctly reflect conformity in the real world - despite using scientific method

What has been concluded about the different levels of psychology?

Due to these factors, the different levels have been described as either 'hard' or 'soft' sciences

If it's not scientific what's good about it?

Freud's research represented the importance of individuality and he believed in the qualitative differences between humans

Evaluate non-scientific research

If any research which has not been done scientifically, such as Freud's, is overlooked, this could lead to fatal errors in understanding behaviour

Evaluate scientific research

In making research more systematic it makes it more scientific but also more reductionist

Explain another area of scientific psychology?

Neuropsychology new area, medical definition - 'a science concerned with the integration of psychological observations on behaviour and the mind with neurological observations on the brain and nervous system'

A further comparison with other sciences arguing against psychology being a science?

Other sciences such as biology and physics have also been said to have a unifying set of assumptions or paradigm, which is always applicable - psychology does not have a single paradigm but several approaches e.g. cognitive, physiological, behaviourist etc - without this paradigm psychology can only be considered as a pre-science

Define 'science'

Science is using scientific methods and equipment. Scientific method refers to a method used to prove or disprove a theory or hypothesis. A study must collect data in an objective, controlled fashion and must have the potential to be falsified in order to be considered scientific.

What do these scientific areas of psychology suggest?

That the best way to understand complex phenomena such as human behaviour is by breaking it down into simpler levels of explanation/components i.e. reductionism

Conclusion

The debate is not only where it is a science, but whether it should be - humans are complex and therefore could be incorrect to force scientific method onto all analysis and understanding of how humans behave the way they do - psychology being a science could be both beneficial and detrimental to its research

What about the other levels of psychology?

The higher levels such as psychological and social explanations of behaviour have therefore been denied as being scientific - requiring a more holistic outlook

Example of how this came about?

Watson (1913) - recognised the work of Pavlov with the classical conditioning of dogs could be used as an objective and therefore scientific psychology, which he called behaviourism

Who set up one of the first psychological labs?

Wundt (1879) - in order to make the study of mental processes more systematic using introspection.

Evaluate Milgram's use of scientific method

extraneous variables such as experimenter effects and demand characteristics - use of people as they are complex - lab experiments are low in ecological validity - results may be incorrect

Give me an example

prescribing drugs to someone with depression but not looking into the reasons behind their depression, such as family problems, could have devastating effects

First argument?

psychology uses scientific method - science aims to gain knowledge by being objective and systematic -> psychology uses it promoting psychology as a science -> reaps desirable research as theories and ideas or theories can be backed up with evidence

Second argument?

some levels of psychology are considered scientific e.g. physiological, genetic and behavioural explanations are scientific