Psychology as a Science

Theories provide understanding an explanations by organising facts
Theories provide a basis for research, generating predictions and hypotheses
Process of deriving new hypotheses from theory is - Hypoithetico-deductive method
Popper believed a theory should be falsifiable and subjected to attempts of refutation
Paradigm
1. A set of assumptions about a subject
  1. scientific study of human and animal behaviour and mental processes
    1. provides greater knowledge and understanding at a theoretical level
  2. Evidence and fact gathered through scientific procedures are objective
    1. these can be used to support a theory of hypothetical statement
  3. applications of scientific approach to the study of people brings benefits to people's lives
    1. helps them adjust better to change and cope with trama in their lives
  4. scientific procedures used by one psychologist can be replicated by another psychologist
    1. Peer Review
  5. The study of human beings is inherently interesting and fascinating in its own right
    1. understanding about ourselves & the society
2. Kuhn- argues a subject cannot be a science unless it has a paradigm
3. Psychology is a pre science as there are too many theoretical approaches
4. Palermo - psychology has gone beyond being a science
Theory and hypothesis testing
Empirical Methods
1. If it is not subject to empirical methods it cannot claim to be scientific
2. Direct experience, experimental, factual, verifiable, objective
3. Popper (1972) observation is always pre structured
Replication
1. When following the same procedure, findings should be repeated
2. Harder in psychology than other sciences because it is subject to human behaviours
3. If replicated validity & generalisability is increased and practical application is improved
Generalisation
1. The ability of the researcher to make a justified extention of their conclusions, applying them to members of the target population and other situations
2. Must be a representative sample
3. Should have ecological ability
4. Must be able to be replicated
Overt Behaviour
1. behaviour that is open and detectable
2. Can be internal but must be observed from responses
Subjective private experience
1. Internal and unique to each person
2. Cannot be accessed or replicated
3. William James
  1. "stream of conciousness"
    1. an internal monologue that id always present, unique, private and accessible only by the individual
Role of Peer Review
1. Theories and research findings must be communicated through..
  1. Journals and conferences to other scientists in order to...
    1. Validate- quality of research and relevance of ideas
    2. Evaluate-research proposals for financial support with future work
Strengths
1. Respectively due to a scientific status
2. Objective and provides reliable findings that can be generalised
  1. to large groups of people- this also increases validity
3. Theories provide general laws of behaviour
  1. allow psychology to progress as a science
4. Resulted in applications which can improve people's lives and help solve problems
Weaknesses
1. Demand characteristics- as human behaviour is the subject matter
2. Ethical restrictions may constrain psychological research
3. Strives for objectivitiy and control but can cause artificial environment and lack of generalisability
  1. lacks ecological validity
    1. has both nomothetic and idiographic features
      1. uses idiographic features to make nomothetic assumptions
4. Cannot control all variables so completely accurate predictions are impossible
5. Deterministic and reductionist
6. Much is unobservable: cannot be measured

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Psychology as a Science

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