Is Psychology A Science

Question 1

What is a science

Answer 1

• objectivity
• measurable/quantitative data
• controls - only the IV and DV can vary
• testing
• empirical data
• reliability
  -credibility

Question 2

What is not a science

Answer 2

• is subjective
• not measurable
• few controls
• works with aim not hypothesis
• lacks reliability/credibility

Question 3

Social psych arguments

Answer 3

• issues about methodology, such as social desirability in a questionnaire and related issues of validity
• lack of validity might mean data that isn’t useful
• milgram used careful controls and and aimed for cause and effect conclusions making his work scientific in terms of reliability, objectivity and credibility
• sherif et al aimed for controls such as in the sampling, which is scientific though a field study tends to be less scientific as environment is hard to control

Question 4

Learning theories arguments

Answer 4

• if studies in psychology favour controlled conditions and controlled procedures so that cause and effect conclusions can be drawn. Then that is doing science where as if psychology focuses on the person as a whole then its less scientific
• Pavlov, skinner and bandura wanted to study measurable behaviour to draw cause and effect conclusions