Psychology as a Science Flashcards

1
Q

What is science in psychology?

A

What is studied and the method of research used.

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2
Q

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

A

IS - Lab experiments, quantitative data, brain scans, are objective with limited bias and are measurable
IS NOT - Case studies, field experiments, observations provide qualitative data that is more susceptible to bias and harder to replicate

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3
Q

Define ‘unified paradigm’.

A

A model, theory, or area which follows the same principles.

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4
Q

Using examples, explain how a ‘unified paradigm’ suggests that psychology IS and IS NOT a science.

A

IS - Psychologists have the same goals of explaining and predicting human behaviour
IS NOT - There is a lack of paradigm in explaining behaviour in different areas of psychology (e.g. Biological states aggression can come from evolution or an imbalance of hormones)

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5
Q

Define ‘objectivity’.

A

All sources of bias that can affect data are minimised with subjective ideas being eliminated.

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6
Q

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

A

IS - Quantitative methods operationalise concepts in order to measure them and methods such as inter-rater observations minimise bias
IS NOT - Humans studying humans can never be objective (e.g. observations of behaviour can be subjective to individual)

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7
Q

Define ‘falsification’.

A

A hypothesis should able proved to be false not true.

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8
Q

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

A

IS - Approaches that are more scientific (e.g. Bio) have methods that are easier to falsify
IS NOT - Easy to find supporting studies and the psychodynamic approach cannot be falsified

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9
Q

Define ‘replication’.

A

The ability to accurately reproduce something correctly, such as the procedure of a study in order to compare to test for consistency.

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10
Q

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

A

IS - Lab experiments use high control and standardised procedures that can be easily replicated (e.g. Baddeley 1966)
IS NOT - Some methods are more complex that cannot be standardised (e.g. unstructured interviews in clinical)

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11
Q

Define ‘control’.

A

A variable that is kept the same throughout the experiment.

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12
Q

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

A

IS - Lab experiments have high control due to standardised procedures formed from testing variables
IS NOT - Methods such as observations have EVs that aren’t always identifiable and controllable, control limits realism, correlations have no control, difficult to operationalise abstract concepts

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13
Q

Define ‘predictions’.

A

A hypothesis that is formed based on an assumption of what will happen that is tested to get disproved.

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14
Q

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

A

IS - Theories can lead to real life predictions (e.g. Behaviourism with conditioning techniques)
IS NOT - Too general for precision (e.g. Schizophrenia has many predictions such as dopamine hypothesis and social causation)

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15
Q

Define ‘generalisation’.

A

Applying a behaviour to a wider population.

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16
Q

Using examples, explain how ‘human generalisation’ suggests that psychology IS and IS NOT a science.

A
IS - Random sampling methods avoid bias (e.g. stratified)
IS NOT - Pre 1970s studies were often white middle class men from USA (e.g. Milgram's 1963) with current ones often being volunteer students (e.g. Loftus and Palmer 1974)
17
Q

Using examples, explain how ‘animal generalisation’ suggests that psychology IS and IS NOT a science.

A

IS - Evolution of species led to similar traits with rats having similar CNS to humans
IS NOT - Evolutionary discontinuity for animals due to humans being further along with different environments

18
Q

Define ‘validity’.

A

Accurately measuring what is sought to be measured with research.

19
Q

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

A

IS - Lab experiments are more objective and free from bias with the ability to establish cause and effect (e.g. Meltzer’s 2014 use of placebos)
IS NOT - DCs can cause bias as well as other forms of bias such as researcher

20
Q

Define ‘reductionism’.

A

Simplifying something to certain aspects of it that is used to explain the whole.

21
Q

Define ‘holism’.

A

Looking at something as a whole to explain something.

22
Q

Using examples, explain how ‘reductionism/holism’ suggests that psychology IS and IS NOT a science.

A

IS - Reductionism makes concepts measurable

IS NOT - Holism is less measurable and less scientific

23
Q

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

A
  • Lab experiments (e.g. Milgram 1963) have high control for cause and effect
  • Abstract concepts such as prejudice can be operationalised to become reductionist and measurable like friendship levels (e.g. Sherif 1954)
  • Questionnaires and surveys can be replicated easily and use quantitative objective
  • 2 researchers can can agree on themes for thematic analysis
24
Q

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

A
  • Field experiments have low control over extraneous variables so cannot establish cause and effect (e.g. Sherif 1954)
  • Questionnaires are open to bias from social desirability, acquiescence bias, and researcher bias from interpreting open questions
  • Humans studying humans can never be objective
25
Q

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

A
  • Lab experiments (e.g. Baddeley 1966) use standardised procedures that can be replicated easily
  • Reductionism of memory is scientific (e.g. Baddeley 1966 with word lists)
  • Memory is universal and so has a unified paradigm
  • Brain scans for memory impairments being due to brain impairment
  • Evidence of a hypothetico-deductive model in Baddeley 1966 who adapted his experiment to separate the STM and LTM encoding
26
Q

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

A
  • There isn’t a unified paradigm due to no definitive test for memory
  • Case studies (e.g. KF suffered memory impairment from motorcycle accident and had impaired verbal recall as opposed to visual)
  • Bartlett’s research created his theory which is not a hypothetico-deductive model
27
Q

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

A
  • Brain scans (e.g. Raine 1997 using a PET scan) are scientific
  • Can generalise animal studies on the CNS of rats, etc to humans (Wagner 1979 with castrated rats)
  • Lab experiments have high control for cause and effect and standardised procedures for replication
  • Reductionist when looking at areas of the brain being responsible for certain behaviours
28
Q

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

A
  • Correlations have no control over variables and cannot establish cause and effect
  • Case studies (e.g. Charles Whitman) have complex procedures involving different methods
  • No unified paradigm as there are multiple explanations for aggression
  • Twin studies never have 100% concordance rate
  • Evolutionary discontinuity means can’t generalise animal research on aggression as different social environments
29
Q

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

A
  • Lab experiments (e.g. Watson and Rayner 1920) have standardised procedures to allow high replication
  • Unified paradigm on seeking to find how behaviours are learnt with different theories
  • High predictions from learning theories for the development of things like anorexia
  • Animal research on behaviour (e.g. Thorndike 1898 and his cats)
  • Inter-rater reliability with methods like observations (e.g. Bandura 1961)
30
Q

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

A
  • Observations (e.g. Bandura 1961) can be subjective when interpreting behaviour as humans studying humans can never be objective
  • Field studies have low control over EVs meaning lower validity with cause and effect of measuring what is sought to be measured
  • Animal studies on behaviour are not fully generalisable due to qualitative differences in the brain as a result of evolutionary discontinuity
  • Behaviours can be hard to operationalise
31
Q

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

A
  • Uses biological explanations to explain criminal behaviour which use scientific methods such as brain scans (e.g. brain structure)
  • Lab experiments have high control (e.g. Loftus and Palmer to test EWT) and are standardised
  • Social explanations for criminality are reductionist (e.g. labelling theory and SFP and so easily measurable
32
Q

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

A
  • Case studies (e.g. psychological case formulation) have complex procedures that are harder to replicate
  • Case studies about unique criminals are harder to generalise to other people due to their uniqueness
  • Field experiments in EWT have lower control over variables that can affect what is being measured
  • CBT is more holistic in its approach by combining biological and social factors for behaviour and so less sicentific
33
Q

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

A
  • DSM and ICD are objective with the standardised manuals to follow when diagnosing
  • Brain scans are used to compare the brains of patients with mental illnesses
  • Animal research is often done to test the effects of drugs on rats with symptoms of mental disorders which can be generalised to humans
  • Explanations for disorders are reductionist
  • Accurate predictions can be made from learning theories, etc on the development of a disorder (e.g. Nasser 1986 Cairo vs London for Egyptian people)
34
Q

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

A
  • Diagnostic interviews are unstructured and gain qualitative data which is harder to replicate and measure
  • Subjective interpretation of symptoms
  • Interviewer bias on what the patients disclose
  • Case studies (e.g. Luk and Agoha 2014) are harder to replicate due to their unique and complex nature with a more holistic approach
  • Correlational data doesn’t establish cause and effect (e.g. social causation hypothesis)
  • Carlsson 2012 used secondary data so can’t be sure all methods were standardised or free from bias