Is Psychology a science?

Question 1

What is the first argument?

Answer 1

Sociology is a science

Question 2

Who is a key positivist sociologist?

Answer 2

Comte

Question 3

What does he argue?

Answer 3

It is possible and desirable to apply logic and methods of the natural sciences to study society

Question 4

What is society?

Answer 4

Objective, factual reality i.e. a ‘real thing’

Question 5

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 5

Accumulating data about the world through careful observation and measurement

Question 6

What is the approach known as?

Answer 6

Verificationism- prove something as true

Question 7

What approach do Positivists favour?

Answer 7

Macro, structuralist approaches e.g. Functionalism

Question 8

What do positivists believe researchers should be?

Answer 8

Detached and objective to not let subjective feelings interfere with research

Question 9

What research methods do they favour?

Answer 9

Official statistics, structured interviews/questionnaires

Question 10

What study supports the idea that Sociology is a science?

Answer 10

Durkheim’s study of suicide
-Using official statistics
-Observed patterns in suicide rates e.g. Protestants had higher rates of suicide
-Social facts= levels of integration and regulation

Question 11

What is the second argument?

Answer 11

Sociology should not be considered a science

Question 12

What type of sociologist argues this?

Answer 12

Interpretivists

Question 13

What is the fundamental difference between natural sciences and sociology?

Answer 13

-Sociology studies people, who have free-will and exercise choice

Question 14

What does Mead argue?

Answer 14

-Rather than responding automatically to stimuli, human beings interpret the meanings of stimulus and then choose how to respond

Question 15

What is verstehen?

Answer 15

The idea that in order to discover the meanings people give to their actions, we need to see the world from their viewpoint e.g. empathetic understanding

Question 16

What methods do interpretivists favour?

Answer 16

Unstructured interviews/observations, personal documents

Question 17

What do interactionists believe we can have?

Answer 17

We can have positive style causal relationships- however we need to reject the idea that researchers should define a hypothesis before they start research

Question 18

Who criticises Durkheim’s study of suicide?

Answer 18

-Douglas

Question 19

In order to understand suicide, what does he argue we need to do?

Answer 19

Uncover its meanings to those involved, using qualitative data from case-studies of suicide

Question 20

What do postmodernists regard natural science as?

Answer 20

Meta-narrative- no reason to adopt its model for sociology

Question 21

According to some postmodernists, why is it undesirable to follow science?

Answer 21

The emergence of a risk society where man-made weapons exist has undermined the idea that science brings benefits to mankind

Question 22

What is the third argument based on?

Answer 22

Falsification- Popper

Question 23

What does Popper reject?

Answer 23

Positivist view that the distinctive feature of science lies in inductive reasoning

Question 24

What does the fallacy of induction refer to?

Answer 24

The fact that we can never prove a theory as true by producing more observations to ‘verify’ that truth

Question 25

What example does Popper give?

Answer 25

Black swan analogy

Question 26

What is makes a statement scientific?

Answer 26

If it can be falsified i.e. proved wrong by evidence

Question 27

What type of activity is science?

Answer 27

Public activity- open to criticism in order to develop better theories

Question 28

According to Popper, is sociology a science?

Answer 28

-No, much of it isn’t because it can’t be falsified e.g. Marxism’s prediction of a class revolution cannot be falsified i.e. if there is a revolution then Marxists are right, if there isn’t Marxists are still right
-However, it can be scientific as it produces hypotheses that can be falsified

Question 29

What is the fourth argument based on?

Answer 29

Paradigms- Kuhn

Question 30

What is a paradigm?

Answer 30

Shared set of beliefs that provide a basic framework of assumptions, principles and methods

Question 31

What is rewarded from conformity to a paradigm?

Answer 31

Publication and research success

Question 32

What do paradigm’s mean in normal science?

Answer 32

Puzzle-solving i.e. scientist fills in the neatest solution

Question 33

What marks the start of a scientific revolution?

Answer 33

When scientists formulate rival paradigms

Question 34

How does Kuhn’s view differ from Popper’s?

Answer 34

-Kuhn- scientific community is not characterised by openness or originality- only during a scientific revolution does science change
-Popper- Science is a public activity- scientific community is critical, rational

Question 35

According to Kuhn, is Sociology a science?

Answer 35

-No, pre-scientific as there is no shared paradigm
-Sociology could become a science if basic disagreements are resolved- unlikely

Question 36

Why do postmodernists argue that a paradigm is undesirable?

Answer 36

Meta-narrative i.e. dominating view of reality

Question 37

What does the fifth argument focus on?

Answer 37

Realism, science and sociology

Question 38

What do Keat and Urry distinguish between?

Answer 38

Closed vs open systems

Question 39

What are closed systems?

Answer 39

Researcher controls all variables e.g. lab experiments

Question 40

What are open systems?

Answer 40

Researcher cannot control all variables

Question 41

What do sociologists study?

Answer 41

Open systems- processes are too complex to make exact predictions

Question 42

For Realists, what attempts to explain the causes of events in terms of underlying structures and processes?

Answer 42

Natural and social science

Question 43

According to realists, is sociology a science?

Answer 43

-Yes, little difference between natural science and sociology e.g. Marxism- see’s underlying structures e.g. capitalism producing effects like poverty