Status of psychology as a science

Question 1

Points to make

Answer 1

• Characteristics of a science
• Changing nature of science and psychology
• Methodologies of psychological approaches
• Benefits of psychology as a science
• Costs of psychology as a science

Question 2

Points for Characteristics of a science

Answer 2

• objective
• reliable
• evidence based
• quantifiable
• established a cause and effect between iv and dv
• Predictions about future outcomes can be made
• behaviour can be anticipated
• open to falsification
• Replicatable

Question 3

Points for Changing nature of science and psychology

Answer 3

• established by greeks
• illness vs positive
• methods - qualitative to quantitative

Question 4

Points for Methodologies of psychological approaches

Answer 4

• describe the approaches

- Thomas Kuhn

Question 5

What did Thomas Kuhn say

Answer 5

Any discipline that does not that does not share a unifying paradigm cannot be seen as a science - all the approaches

Question 6

Points for Benefits of psychology as a science

Answer 6

• Findings and conclusions can positively impact peoples lives
• Ethically wrong to treat people with non scientific methods so should be a science for social and ethical reasons
• Antipsychotic drugs save £22.5 billion a year and allow people to be functional members of society

Question 7

Points for costs of psychology as a science

Answer 7

• Science is deterministic which may be misleading if correlation is not correct
• Reductionist, limited explanation
• Makes generalisations
• Humanistic psychologists support a more holistic view