3.4.1 Psychology Isn't A Science (Con)

Question 1

(Against) not all psychological research is what f?

Answer 1

Falsifiable

Question 2

(Against) give an example of how some psychological research is unfalsifiable:

Answer 2

Freud said all men have repressed homosexual tendencies - impossible to falsify, can’t prove it true or false

Question 3

(Against) but some psychological theories produce what?

Answer 3

Hypotheses that can be falsified

Question 4

(Against) how did sohms provide evidence for the theory when we dream our ego is weakened and the ids desires are expressed?

Answer 4

Hypothesis - when we dream prefrontal cortex (rational - ego) is less active and limbic system (emotion, drives - id) more active

Question 5

(Against) what research is at risk of lacking objectivity?

Answer 5

Any that doesn’t use a double blind placebo trial

Question 6

(Against) why might Bowlby’s 44 thieves study lack objectivity?

Answer 6

Bowlby was a psychodynamic theorist believing early childhood experiences were of vital importance
his ideas could have influences his diagnosis of affectionless amongst children experiencing separation

Question 7

(Against) how might Ellis have lacked objectivity?

Answer 7

as the designer of REBT he suggested a 90% success rate when other researchers suggested 50

Question 8

(Against) how might Kohlberg’s interpretation of answers to moral dilemma scenarios have lacked objectivity?

Answer 8

no subjective measure of moral development

Kohlberg’s western expectations of moral development could’ve influences his interpretations

Question 9

(Against) in psychological research what is not exclusively used?

Answer 9

controlled research

Question 10

(Against) psychologists will often use what type of studies?

Answer 10

correlational studies

e.g .age and reaction time, stress and illness, happiness and age

Question 11

(Against) what does correlational research not establish and why?

Answer 11

causation e.g. will you smoke if your friends do or are you more likely to get friends who smoke because you smoke
existence of cofounding variables

Question 12

(Against) correlational research is often misunderstood to be what?

Answer 12

causation

Question 13

(Against) even when lab exp. are used what does the researcher have to do?

Answer 13

control EVs and CVs to be confident manipulation of IV causes change in DV

Question 14

(Against) why is it impossible to control all variables with research on humans?

Answer 14

no way of knowing ways individuals may be influenced to behave

Question 15

(Against) what CVs may affect a lab exp. into effectiveness of a therapy?

Answer 15

cause of mental illness
compliance
different amounts/ dosage
other treatments
social support

Question 16

(Against) what does it mean that psychology has no single paradigm? (Kuhn, 1970)

Answer 16

no single shared set of assumptions like biology, chemistry and physics

Question 17

(Against) In comparison to biology, chemistry and physics, what is psychology?

Answer 17

a relatively younger subject it is only 138 years

other science is thousand of years old

Question 18

(Against) within traditional sciences what has there not always been?

Answer 18

agreement

Question 19

(Against) the theories agreed on today in traditional sciences are the result of what?

Answer 19

hundreds of years of research

Question 20

(Against) what type of science might psychology be?

Answer 20

a pre science

it is yet to identify it’s paradigm

Question 21

(Against) what is pre science?

Answer 21

a period of discovery where there was no central paradigm

this status does not detract from use of scientific methods

Question 22

(Against) Palermo (1971) argues psychology has already undergone what and is in what stage?

Answer 22

a series of paradigm shifts

now in the revolutionary phase

Question 23

(Against) what is the revolutionary phase?

Answer 23

challenging the paradigms

Question 24

(Against) what could the revolutionary phase explain the change in?

Answer 24

focus of study from psychopathy to positive psychology

Question 25

(Against) why do some believe the goals of science are not appropriate for psychology?

Answer 25

not able to gain a complete understanding of human behaviour

Question 26

(Against) the scientific approach is reductionist which means what for psychology?

Answer 26

need to break down complex behaviours to individual elements but such an approach would limit psychological insight

Question 27

(Against) Laing said schizophrenia cannot be understood without understanding what?

Answer 27

despair

Question 28

(Against) being reductionist is at the costs of getting what?

Answer 28

insight

Question 29

(Against) most psychologists prefer what type of approach rather than a reductionist one?

Answer 29

holistic

Question 30

(Against) Laing claimed the aim of the scientific approach is to do what?

Answer 30

make generalisations about behaviour

nomothetic

Question 31

(Against) Laing said he felt treatment could only succeed if each patient was treated as what?

Answer 31

an individual case (idiographic)

Question 32

(conclusion) what has psychology done even without having scientific status?

Answer 32

had an impact