9.3.5 Psychology As A Science

Question 1

Are it’s methods scientific?

Answer 1

YES: lab experiments have high control, can identify clear cause and effect, standardised which means replicable. Quan data is scientific.
NO: Case studies and clinical interviews-can’t replicate, limits predictions. Lack of control-naturalistic observations, can’t find clear cause and effect. Can’t replicate WandR

Question 2

Has it got a unified paradigm?

Answer 2

YES: all psychologists have the same goals of explaining predicting and controlling human behaviour.
NO: lack of a paradigm which is present in other sciences therefore psychology is in the pre science stage

Question 3

Is it objective?

Answer 3

YES: quan methods-bandits operationalised what the behaviour would be classed as. Precise measurement and operalisation of variables.
NO: subjective creates bias-humans interpreting human behaviour can’t be objective. Too much interpretation in some methods.

Question 4

Can the theories be falsified?

Answer 4

YES: memory-MSM to WMM (verification). Approaches and applications that are more traditionally scientific can be tested and varieties. Psychological approach to determine brain struct and behaviour.
NO: too easy to find Supporting evidence for psychological theories.

Question 5

Are the studies replicable?

Answer 5

YES: burger replicated Milgrams study and made it more ethical and reliable. Most methods can be replicated. Lab studies.
NO: some methods and studies are hard to replicate. Clinical interviews, case studies.

Question 6

Are the studies well control?

Answer 6

YES: most research operationalises and controls variables and is probably as good as other sciences-clear cause and effect. Lab experiments. Pavlov
NO: sherif-field experiment, ppts only observed a limited amount, case studies objective, brendgen. Can’t always identify and control confounding variables.

Question 7

Do the theories lead to predictions?

Answer 7

YES: there are approaches that allow prediction-scientific. Behaviourism. Understanding of brain areas and links to behaviour.
NO: some approaches/ application doesn’t allow precise predictions-too general. Sz seen to have a generic component but can’t predict that a child will develop the disorder in the basis that their parent has it.

Question 8

Can we make generalisations from human samples?

Answer 8

YES: sampling methods to avoid bias and allow generalisation. Psychologists are now more careful about identifying target populations so we avoid over-generalisation.
NO: samples pre 1970s were often white, middle class, American males (ethnocentric). Student voulunteers are commonly used-more liniment in JDM.

Question 9

Can we make generalisations from non-human samples?

Answer 9

YES: evolutionary continuity, ie we share similar characteristics to animals through the evolutionary process, just further along in complexity-control.
NO: anthropomorphism. Wrongly applying results from animal experiments to humans as we don’t share similar characteristics. Evolutionary discontinuity.

Question 10

Is there bias in research procedures?

Answer 10

YES: we avoid bias through single blind procedures, double blind procedures, placebos.
NO: psychological research can be biased because of demand characteristics, experimenter bias, poor questioning, eg leading questions.

Question 11

What 5 things make a study scientific?

Answer 11

Replication
Prediction
Control
Falsification
Reductionism vs holism 
(RCPFR)

Question 12

What is replication?

Answer 12

The same result must be repeatable by other psychologists in other studies.

Question 13

What is prediction?

Answer 13

As a result of your study you can predict a future result.

Question 14

What is control?

Answer 14

Because you can predict a future result, you may be begin to control it.

Question 15

What is falsification?

Answer 15

Concept and ideas may be verified as facts if they can be replicated predicted and controlled.

Question 16

What is reductionism vs holism?

Answer 16

Find a clear cause and effect. Allows from for more accurate predictions.

Question 17

Why does cognitive psychology make psychology a science?

Answer 17

Theories of memory can be added and improved ok when new research or evidence has been found.

Question 18

Why can we argue that cognitive psychology doesn’t make psychology a science?

Answer 18

Cog looks at many case studies such as HM which means there is no control.

Question 19

Why can we argue that social psychology doesn’t make psychology a science?

Answer 19

No it’s not objective. Because subjective methods are used that create quan data, such as unstructured interviews which open questions.

Question 20

Why can we argue that learning makes psychology a science?

Answer 20

Pavlovs study had high controls to ensure there was clear cause and effect between the bell and salivating. He did this by placing the dog in a sloundproof cage, so only the sound of the bell triggered the response, making the study scientific as clear cause and effect.

Question 21

Why can we argue that biological makes psychology a science?

Answer 21

Raine lab experiment. Controlled participant variable; stopped medication 2 weeks prior. From this you can identify clear cause and effect. As it’s standardised the study can be replicated and are able to make predictions based off results. Raine used PET scans to look at brain activity in NGRI and control groups. This is an objective method and allows to gather qual and quan data, can replicate analysis.

Question 22

Why can we argue that biological doesn’t make psychology a topic?

Answer 22

The use of case studies is t scientific. For example phineas gage behaviour change with the loss of the pfc. As the case study was biased in the subjective interpretation at his retrospective behaviour. This is bad for the topic as it doesn’t allow the results to be generalised to a wider population. The subjectivity doesn’t allow it to be scientific.

Question 23

Why can we argue that clinical makes psychology a science?

Answer 23

You can replicate Rosenhans study. Pseudo patients all exhibited the same symptoms by saying ‘hollow’ ‘empty’ ‘thud’ meaning others are able to portray some symptoms and her diagnosed. In the second experiment they gathered quan data by watching how many nurses ignored patients or gave their attention. Replication is good as it allows for consistencies in results meaning more credible predictions can be made.

Question 24

Why can we argue that clinical doesn’t make psychology a science?

Answer 24

Rosenhans study didn’t have rules for after being admitted into the hospital, this would make it harder to repeat as the pseudo patients would act differently which would be bad as confounding variables could influence whether they were able to set out how they were treated decrease replicability so reliability can’t be checked-decreases scientific status.