emergence of psychology as a science

• scientists believe knowledge comes from observation and experience
• what are the two major assumptions of science ?

  all behaviour is seen as being caused by another factor, so it should be possible to predict behaviour in different situations
• scientific method is based off of seven key features ?

  field of study should use empirical methods, theory construction an hypothesis testing, theories must be falsifiable, studies must have objectivity and be controlled, studies must have replicability, field of study must have paradigms and paradigm shift, field of study must use peer review
• feature one of scientific methods ?

  empirical methods- allow us to observe results objectively through direct testing, we know the results to be true rather than believe they are true
• feature two of scientific methods ?

  construction and hypothesis testing- theory proposed--> generate hypothesis ----> empirical testing---> refine and modify
• theory ?

  set of general laws and principals that explain certain behaviour, construction occurs after observation, the prediction you make based off of observation is a hypothesis, this is strengthened or weakened through hypothesis testing
• feature three of scientific method?

  falsifiable- science is distinguishable from non-science as its theories are falsifiable, they must be able to be tested to potentially show they're wrong, this is why we say evidence suggests instead of proves as no theory can be proven 100%5 true
• feature four of scientific methods ?

  objectivity and control- data should be collected under controlled conditions to ensure objectivity, findings are not open for interpretation or influenced by researchers expectation or opinion
• feature five of scientific methods ?

  replicability- checks validity, repeats a study in different circumstances and situations, if the outcome is the same it supports the original results and is therefore valid, psychologists need to include enough detail to make replication possible
• feature six of scientific methods ?

  paradigm and paradigm shift- psychology lacks a universal paradigm so kuhn argues it is a pre-science as there is disagreement between approaches. However, some argue psychology is a science as its undergone paradigm shifts
• whats feature seven of scientific methods ?

  peer review- assessment of scientific work by others in the same field, goal of peer review is high quality research, the views are considered by a peer review pannel and they are generally unpaid
• a03?

  Science uses objective and controlled methods of testing.

  • This means that empirical data is produced which can be used to support theories.

  • scientific method allows control of variables, possible to establish the causes of behaviour.

  • in using the scientific method cause and effect can be inferred.

  • The use of the cycle of science means that psychology is always progressing as new knowledge is discovered.

  • if scientific theories no longer apply, they can be modified or abandoned.

  • Thus psychological knowledge continually improves and is updated
• Some psychologists argue that human behavior cannot be tested scientifically
• Reasons why scientific methods may be considered inappropriate for testing human behavior:

  • Humans do not live in labs or under controlled conditions
  • Scientific testing is carried out in controlled conditions, which may create artificial situations
  • Findings from scientific testing may not apply to real-life situations, leading to a lack of ecological validity
• Many human behaviors cannot be empirically tested, meaning they cannot be measured accurately
• Psychology often uses inferences to draw conclusions about behavior
• Cognitive psychology attempts to use the scientific method, but psychologists are unable to observe internal mental processes directly
• Psychologists make inferences about cognitive processing from observations