Psychology as a Science

Question 1

What is science in psychology

Answer 1

What is studied and the method of research used

Question 2

Under what 5 criteria is psychology measured for it’s scientific status

Answer 2

Objectivity
Falsifiability
Paradigm
Empirical (evidence)
Causality

Question 3

Using examples, explain how ‘methodology’ suggests that psychology IS and IS NOT a science

Answer 3

IS - Lab experiments, quantitative data and brain scans are all subjective methods with limited bias and are measureable

IS NOT - Case studies, field experiments and observations are all very subjective with their findings, they provide quanlitative data which is hard to interpret and more susceptible to bias

Question 4

Define ‘unified paradigm’.

Answer 4

Shared set of assumptions and methods

Question 5

Using examples, explain how a ‘unified paradigm’ suggests that psychology IS a science

Answer 5

Psychologists have the same goals of explaining and predicting human behaviour

Question 6

Using examples, explain how a ‘unified paradigm’ siggests that psychology IS NOT a sceince

Answer 6

There is lack of paradigm in explaining behaviours in different areas of psychology, for example Biological approach explains aggression can come from evolution or an inbalance of hormones

Question 7

Define ‘objectivity’.

Answer 7

Basing judgments and interpretaations on external data rather than on subjective factors like feelings of beliefs

Question 8

Using examples, explain how ‘objectivity’ suggests that psychology IS a science

Answer 8

Quantitative methods operationalise concepts in order to measure them and methods such as inter-rater observations minimise bias

Question 9

Using examples, explain how ‘objectivity’ suggests that psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 9

Human’s observing behaviour’s usually create’s qualitative data which can be subjective

Question 10

Define ‘falsifiability’

Answer 10

logical possibility that a hypothesis or theory can be shown to be false by an experimeny or observation

Question 11

Using examples, explain how ‘falsifiability’ suggests that psycholy IS a science

Answer 11

Approaches that are more scientific have methods (Raine et al 1997) that are easy to prove false, like lab experiments

Question 12

Using examples, explain how ‘falsifiability’ suggests psychology IS NOT a science

Answer 12

Frued’s psychodynamic theories part of the unconscious cannot be proven to be untrue, this lack of falsifiability means theory is not scientific

Question 13

Define ‘empirical (evidence)’

Answer 13

data obtained through direct evidence, like observations of documentations in a lab experiment

Question 14

Using examples, explain how ‘empirical (evidence)’ suggests psychology IS a science

Answer 14

Lab experiments like Watson and Rayner’s little albert study showed empirical evidence, data was documented of Albert’s behaviours to the stimulus’

Question 15

Using examples, explain how ‘empirical (evidence) suggests psychology IS NOT a science

Answer 15

Frued’s psychodynamic approach is non-empirical as it’s based on a theory rather than what is experienced. Experimenting on the basis of this theory is impossible as ID EGO and SUPER EGO cannot be physically observed

Question 16

Define ‘causality’

Answer 16

When an event occurs due to the effect of another event

Question 17

Using examples, describe how social psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 17

Realistic conflic theory provides a testable hypothesis: ‘Levels of prejudice are greater before rival groups engage in subordinate task than afterwards’ Shows this approach is falsifiable.

Question 18

Using examples, describe how social psychology suggests psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 18

Humans studying humans can never be objective as factors liek researcher bais and demand characteristics become extraneous variables.

Question 19

Using examples, describe how cognitive psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 19

Cognitive psychology focuses on memory, memory is universal and therefore a unified paradigm

Question 20

Using examples, describe how cognitive psychology suggests psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 20

Case studies of brain damaged patients could create subjective results. Like KF suffered memory impairment from motorcycle accident and had impaired verbal recall as opposed to visual

Question 21

Using examples, describe how biological psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 21

Adrian Raine 1997, uses PET scans to get to empirical evidence to test previous assumptions of the brain structure’s role on aggression. Falsifiable

Question 22

Using examples, describe how biological psychology suggests psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 22

No unified paradigm as there are multiple explanations of aggression (hormonal imbalance vs evolution vs brain structure vs psychodynamic)

Question 23

Using examples, describe how learning psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 23

Classical conditioning creates testable predictions which are falsifiable, Pavlov creates an experiment to test for classical conditioning and proves it’s existance

Question 24

Using examples, describe how learning psychology suggests psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 24

Pavlov study on classical conditioning on a dog is not generalisable due to the qualitative differences in the brain as a result of evolutionary discontuity

Question 25

Using examples, describe how criminal psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 25

Loftus and Palmer’s experiment had a hypothesis to do with reliability of EWT that was falsifiable, as seen by the results. Previously EWT was seen to be 100% accurate.

Question 26

Using examples, describe how clinical psychology suggests psychology IS a science.

Answer 26

DSM and IDC are objective with their standardised manuals to follow when diagnosing mental illness

Question 27

Using examples, describe how clinical psychology suggests psychology IS NOT a science.

Answer 27

Diagnostic interviews are unstructured and gain qualitative data which is harder to replicate and measure, diagnosis is also dependent on what the patient is willing to disclose