scientific status Flashcards
definition of science
the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment
what to include in introduction
definition of science
fors and against psychology being a science
FOR
psychology being a science
-uses scientific methods in it investigation
-has theories that generates hypothesis, these are then tested
AGAINST
psychology being a science
psychology studies humans, they cannot be investigated like chemistry/physics
-human know they are being investigated (demand characteristics)
-psychologists can only guess or infer what is going on inside your mind (cannot prove 100%)
-Freud
4 paragraphs
benefits of being a science
cost of being a science
changing nature of science
methodologies used by various approaches
benefits of being a science
(O)
talk about why psychology is/isn’t considered a science
evidence-benefits of psychology being a science
BPS defines psychology as ‘ the science of people, the mind and behaviour’
argued that appreciating the scientific process in psychology is more important than having an understanding of the theories
Scientific methods can be summarised using the FORCE factors …
what are the FORCE factors
(E)
Falsifiable, Objective, Replicability, Controlled and Emperical
Strength of psychology being a science
(S- benefits of being a science)
-many practical applications have come as a result of being scientific,
-e.g. we have a scientific explanation for what causes addiction (dopamine hypothesis) these scientific explanations that focus on brain chemistry and pathways can alter the view that addiction is a ‘choice’ and instead a disease that can possibly be genetic. this can have benefits in the treatment and understanding of addicts in society,
another possible strength of being a science
S_benefit of being a science
being scientific allows us to gain evidence as to the effectiveness of certain psychoactive medications and therefore improving the quality of life of individuals. the McCrone report indicates it would be possible to save around £22.5 billion a year in England alone through the successful prescription of psychoactive drugs
weakness
benefit of being a science
if we reduce human behaviour down to the FORCE factors we risk losing important elements of human behaviour. we cannot study human behaviour in a lab as this massively reduces the ecological validity among studies. E.g lots of research that isn’t scientific but has provided vital explanations that can be applied to human behaviour. we cannot study social psychological explanations that influence behaviour in a lab. e,g (peer influence explanation)
Clayton and Neighbours found that descriptive and injunctive norms were the best predictor of alcohol consumption among a sample of US college students
where does Clayton and Neighbours research fit in
Weakness paragraph - benefits of being a science
they found that descriptive and injunctive norms were the best predictor of alcohol consumption among a sample of US college students
evidence for the cost of psychology being a science
as we become more scientific,we also become more reductionist. being scientific is reductionist becauses it breaks down complex issues into one simple factor. e.g. schizophrenia is said to be as a result of simply an overproduction of dopamine (highly reductionist)
S- why is being reductionist a cost
evidence to support psychology being reductionist (a cost of psychology being scientific)
research by R.D Laing, argued that being reductionist misses important elements of the disorder. e.g. schizophrenia could be caused by lots of factors (family relationships, double bind) and these elements are at risk of being ignored if psychologists adopt reductionist theories. suggesting a biological and scientific approach is limited in suggesting all humans respond in identical ways (which must be false)
where does R.D laings research come in
why psychology being reductionist is a bad thing
he argued
that being reductionist misses important elements of the disorder. e.g. schizophrenia could be caused by lots of factors (family relationships, double bind) and these elements are at risk of being ignored if psychologists adopt reductionist theories. suggesting a biological and scientific approach is limited in suggesting all humans respond in identical ways (which must be false)
W- benefits of psychological approaches being reductionist
the identification of dopamine as the cause of complex conditions like schizophrenia has had a huge impact on society, Lawrie argues that ‘anti-psychotic drugs revolutionised schizophrenia’ meaning it could now be treated in the community. the treatment of schizophrenia wouldn’t have been possible without the identification of dopamine (only because of the scientific approach)
where does Lawries research fit in
W of cost of being a science
(why being schizophrenia is not always a bad thing)
Lawrie argues that ‘anti-psychotic drugs revolutionised schizophrenia’ meaning it could now be treated in the community. the treatment of schizophrenia wouldn’t have been possible without the identification of dopamine (only because of the scientific approach)
opening sentence
changing the nature of science
the positive approach in psychology has sought to change the focus of psychological research (change depending on the question)
E
changing the nature of science
the positive approach tends to focus on what is right rather than what is wrong with you. positive psychologists approach to understanding human behaviour is based on the belief that people wish to enhance their lives and make them more meaningful and increase their levels of happiness to achieve greater fulfilment
Strength-changing the nature of science
adopting positive approach to psychology
despite new approaches becomeing more scientific, also become more nomothetic. the posit
weakness of
positive psychologists study behaviour through direct observation and measurement rather than through reasoned argument or unfounded beliefs.
opening paragraph
methodologies used by the various approaches
there have been many benefits of psychological study from the more scientific approaches
evidence
methodologies used by the various approaches
The biological approach is highly scientific.in these approaches behaviour can be explained by the physiological systems of the body i.e. the parts of the brain therefore biological explanations have clear variables that can be manipulated, tested and measured.
