Longer Scientific Status Controversy

Question 1

Scientific Status: Introduction

Answer 1

There is much debate regarding whether psychology is a science or a pseudoscience

• For it to be classed as a science, it must meet certain criteria
  
  • E.g. valid / reliable / objective
• Psychology meets these in some ways meaning there are some benefits to psychology being a science

Question 2

Scientific Status: 4 Areas

Answer 2

Benefits of psych being a science (to society & economy)
Changing nature of science
Costs of being a science
Methodologies used by various approaches

Question 3

Scientific Status: Benefits of being a science - 4 points (+ name)

Answer 3

Determinist
Claims & Hypotheses - Testing
Ethics
Economically - McCrone Report

Question 4

Scientific Status: Benefits of being a science - Determinism

Answer 4

We know how to treat behaviour better if it is predetermined & understand the causes of behaviours & treat them e.g. drugs [ :) for bio]

Question 5

Scientific Status: Benefits of being a science - Claims & Hypotheses: Testing

Answer 5

Ppts. demand evidence-based data to support behavioural claims; e.g. men = more aggressive than women

Question 6

Scientific Status: Benefits of being a science - Ethics

Answer 6

Would be wrong to use treatment (e.g. drugs) for depression without knowing for certain that they’re effective

Question 7

Scientific Status: Benefits of being a science - Economically

Answer 7

Saves money because drugs can be used instead of therapy;

McCrone Report - psychoactive drugs save £22 billion in England each year

Question 8

Scientific Status: Changing Nature of Science - 4 Points

Answer 8

Empirical Evidence
Pathology vs. Flourish
Methodology of psych - Idiographic methods / Freud / Skinner
Triangulation

Question 9

Scientific Status: Changing Nature of Science - Empirical Evidence

Answer 9

Early Greeks thought all scientific evidence should be empirical; developments have helped to improve validity & objectivity

Question 10

Scientific Status: Changing Nature of Science - Pathology vs Flourish

Answer 10

[subject matter of psychology]

Many researchers think psychology should focus on pathology & mental illness but others have shifted to focus on what makes people flourish & thrive

Question 11

Scientific Status: Changing Nature of Science - Methodology of Psychology

Answer 11

Behaviour was quantified for statistical analysis via nomothetic approaches which produce behaviour based generalisations to identify differences among groups of people

Idiographic methods = becoming more popular because it emphasises uniqueness and qualitative data can be used to focus on behaviour of individuals

Popular in 19th century - e.g. Freud; but gave way to rigorous qualitative methods e.g. objective & systemic - e.g. Skinner’s rats

Question 12

Scientific Status: Changing Nature of Science - Triangulation

Answer 12

Use of qualitative and quantitative data to determine to what extent all findings point in a similar direction; e.g. ‘shift work on sleep disruption’ - self-report interviews / observation sleep lab / experiments on function

Question 13

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - 6 Points

Answer 13

Determinism
Mindfulness
Dream Analysis
Human Testing
Reductionism
Idiographic

Question 14

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Determinism

Answer 14

Undermines free will & does not provide a good explanation of behaviour when it is only nature or nurture

Determinism aims to establish cause & effect which is not always the case / misleading

Question 15

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Mindfulness

Answer 15

Some therapies are not very useful on their own despite having roots in science

e.g. Stress Inoculation Therapy: Both mindfulness & SIT are more useful when paired with CBT

Question 16

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Dream Analysis

Answer 16

Some therapies are subjective & not falsifiable so there is no scientific proof that they work

E.g. Dream Analysis is based on subjective opinions & one interpretation

Question 17

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Human Testing

Answer 17

For psychology to have a scientific status, experiments must be conducted; some of which on human participants - This can cause harm & be unethical

Question 18

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Reductionism

Answer 18

Ignores complexities - uses one description (e.g. bio = addition gene)

Question 19

Scientific Status: Costs of being a science - Idiographic

Answer 19

To make generalisations it would have to be nomothetic

Question 20

Scientific Status: Methodologies used by the various approaches - Statement

Answer 20

“Psychology can never have a scientific status due to the methodologies used by various approaches”

Question 21

Scientific Status: Methodologies used by the various approaches - Agrees with the statement [3]

Answer 21

Raine et al. - scientific lab equipment
L&P - Lab experiment (EVs and CVs = controlled)
W&R - Replicable / Falsifiable / Objective / Deterministic / Controlled

Question 22

Scientific Status: Methodologies used by the various approaches - Disagrees with the statement [3]

Answer 22

Bowlby - Self-report / Subjective / Case study / Non-generalisable / Idiographic
L&P - Lacks ecological validity (video > real car crash)
Myers & Diener - Studies didn’t use scientific methods (self-report)

Question 23

Scientific Status: Methodologies used by the various approaches - Scientific Methodologies

Answer 23

Brain scans / Lab experiments (controlled environment) / Falsifiable / Objective / Replicable

Question 24

Scientific Status: Methodologies used by the various approaches - Unscientific Methodologies

Answer 24

Subjective / Self-report / Idiographic / Non-generalisable / Ecological validity / Retrospective