VAT Registration No: 842417633. Nowadays the idea of psychology as a science seems so natural to us, but it was not always like this. On the other hand, there are pitfalls to examining complex psychological processes in a scientific way such as difficulties with generalising findings to different populations, the practical impossibility of maintaining true control over all extraneous variables, and issues with conducting double-blind experiments. Registered Data Controller No: Z1821391. 10, no. Thus, humanists do not support empirical research involving rigorous testing and control and instead champion the precepts of free will, richness of experience and subjective understanding. To achieve this aim, evidence in support of psychology as a science will be considered and evidence against this supposition will be examined. 43, no. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? Viewers are either enticed by an intense and traumatized psychologist who sneaks into the minds of criminals or annoyed be the one episode guest star analyst whose only goal seems to be to pinpoint the flaws in, The question that ‘psychology is a Science’ motivates a substantially critical debate amongst many professions, having very strong opinions. (Fuchs & Milar, 2002). Psychological Record, vol.60, no. Journal of Documentation,vol. 2005. 4, pp. 4, pp. Discuss using evidence from the five approaches. New York: Bantam. Eric Pettifor at GIGANTOPITHECUS defines psychology as "an, Is psychology a science? Another important feature of psychology as a science is that extraneous variables should be controlled as much as possible, and any research conducted should be amenable to replication by other researchers (Hjørland, 2005; Lilienfeld, 2010). In the medical treatment the psychological is very useful and significant means of medical treatment. Nonetheless, its focus on the processes of the mind and behaviour means that it should not ignore potentially valuable, yet subjective, areas of investigation. For example, in studies looking at testosterone and aggression (Krahe, 2001), the link to science from psychology can be seen. Therefore, humanistic psychologists do not believe that psychology benefits from being (or trying to be) a science; rather psychologists should try to understand human behaviour from the perspective of the individual (Elkins, 2008). Psychology is a multi-faceted and wide-ranging subject that focuses on the study of the mind and behaviour (Henriques, 2004). 30 Nov. 2014. Psychology on the other hand, is arguably a relatively new domain that has been studied as a distinct discipline in its own right for only a couple of hundred years (Danziger, 2013). Moore, J., (2011) Philosophy of science, with special consideration given to behaviorism as the philosophy of the science of behavior. Indeed, Carl Rogers developed client-centred therapy and was considered at one point the most influential psychologist in America (Elkins, 2008). Padoa-Schioppa, C., (2008) The syllogism of neuro-economics. It has been argued that mainstream, scientific psychology continues to undermine humanistic psychology and does not acknowledge its contributions to theory and academic literature (Elkins, 2008). Similar to science, in many areas of psychology objectivity is paramount, whilst subjectivity is frowned upon. Psychology often aims to be a science, however the link between psychological research and scientific research is often far from obvious. First of all, why not? 130-155. Copyright © 2003 - 2020 - UKEssays is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Study for free with our range of university lectures! 1, pp. Consequently, it seems that psychology can be considered a science to a large extent. It is clear that behaviourism is a highly scientific approach. Essay Sample. On the other hand, if the predictions are not supported by the data then this particular study is viewed as disconfirming the theory under question (Haig, 2005). Accordingly, in parallel with the scientific domain, it can be argued that a major goal of research in psychology is to successfully identify empirical phenomena which subsequently lead to explanation and theory construction (Haig, 2005). Zittoun, T., Gillespie, A., and Cornish, F., (2009) Fragmentation or differentiation: Questioning the crisis in psychology. In other words, behaviourism proposes that all behaviours (including feelings, thoughts, and actions) are a result of events external to the individual and that organisms respond to stimuli in automatic ways and following universal laws (Hjørland, 2005). You can view samples of our professional work here. The work will conclude with a summary and analysis of the question under review. This essay considers the subject of the scientific status of Psychology pretty thoroughly with balanced debate. By applying scientific methods researchers in the cognitive discipline are able to investigate complex systems such as information processing, language, attention, memory, and the effects of brain injury on cognition (Gardner, 2008). However, that definition is incorrect. DEFINITIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY Psychology has been defined in different ways.Some people have defined psychology as an art.Other people have defined psychology as a science.Many text books define psychology as the science of mind and behavior.Psychology involves the study of human nature and/or behavior.Different opinions come from different perspectives. Consequently, in many psychological disciplines the researcher must test a theory or hypothesis by making observational predictions which can be empirically tested (Haig, 2005). First of all, why not? Psychological Methods, vol. Most of this depends on the brain and the way it tells our bodies to react to the environment around us. Gardner, H., (2008)The Mind’s New Science: A History of the Cognitive Revolution. They point out that despite the dominance of objective and scientific psychology, humanistic ideas permeate mainstream psychology and therapy (Elkins, 2008). The British Psychological Society states that ‘Psychology is the scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour’ (BPS). Therefore, it can be argued that psychology is a science because many researchers use the scientific method of hypothetico-deductivism. Hjørland, B., (2005) Empiricism, rationalism and positivism in library and information science. Theory & Psychology, vol.23, no. Lilienfeld, S. O., (2010) Can psychology become a science? In support of psychology as a science. Many different perspectives have contributed to the study of psychology including behaviourism, developmental and cognitive approaches. Evidence that provides support for the idea that psychology is a science will now be examined. DEFINITIONS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Skinner, B. F., (1971) Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Naturally, humanistic psychologists approach the debate from a different standpoint and wholly reject psychology as a science. Personality and Individual Differences, vol. Science is grounded in the empiricism paradigm which postulates that observations and experiences, or data derived from the senses, are the primary way of gaining knowledge (Hjørland, 2005). It has been argued that the cognitive approach replaced behaviourism as the dominant paradigm in psychology (Costall, 2006; Gardner, 2008). Industrialization During The United States, A Research On Nursing And Patient Communication, The Levels Of Intelligence As A Woman And Man, The Current Constitutional Foundation For The United States Of America. To qualify for the discount, you must have paid at least 50% of your order cost by 23:59 on Sunday 29th November 2020 (UTC/GMT). 1st Jun 2020 I will therefore examine whether it could be, Reflecting on Psychology as a Science Elkins, D. N., (2008) Why humanistic psychology lost its power and influence in American psychology: Implications for advancing humanistic psychology. Nowadays the idea of psychology as a science seems so natural to us, but it was not always like this. Psychology slowly shifted from unproven mind psychology to the study of behaviour with revolutionary experiments in behaviour like Pavlovs dogs. Henriques, G. R., (2004) Psychology defined.Journal of Clinical Psychology, vol. In this essay I will be discussing what is actually meant by this and whether psychology fits into both the traditional views of a science, as well as more contemporary perspectives. 4, pp. Psychology is commonly defined as ‘scientific’ study of human behaviour and cognitive processes. Elucidate your answer with relevant arguments. In this way, cause and effect can be more clearly determined, and if different researchers consistently find the same results then it is more likely that the results are valid and reliable.
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