psychology as a science

psychology as a science

1. cognitive

   • highly scientific method (labratory experiments have high amounts of control)
   • BADDELY (1966b)
     • followed scientific procedure

2. social

   • 1924- chaned manifesto in order to become more scientific.
     • lead to studies which have highly controlled variables.
   • group dynamics rarely exist in a social volume
   • SHERIF (1954/61)
     • high level of control and careful planning at each stage.
     • staff were only allowed to intervene when there was a risk of safety (so that their behaviour didn't effect the study)

3. criminal

   • uses various research methods.
     • lab experiments are typically used for EWT.
     • field experiments are succeptable to effects via extraneous variables
       • less controlled
       • experiments are considered the most scientific tool used in psychology because they propose testable hypotheses and gather empirical data using objective methods
   • LOFTUS AND PALMER (1974)
     • labratiry experiment- High controls and it s reproduceable

4. biological

   • seen as the most scientific way of gathering data.
     • relates and uses aspects of biology and chemistry
     • brain scans
   • corralational technique can be very subjective. not reliable data
   • can be considered reductionist
   • RAINE ET AL (1997)
     • use of PET scans makes the study very reliable.
     • all participants were treated in the same way
     • claims to be objective
     • could be some variation as different participants as the images are often based upon on the location of certain brain landmarks
     • correlational data is unrealible

5. learning theories

   • has very scientific ways of gathering data- behaviourist manifesto
   • only observable behaviour should be the topic of investigation not consciousness.
   • WATSON AND RAYNER (1920)
     • scientific methodology
     • good control of variables
     • eliminated extraneous variables of LA before he was conditioned to act as a control

6. clinical

   • high demand for mental health to be treated the same way as physical health
   • medical model is highly scientific
   • clinical psychology has also helped brain scanning techniques improve
   • ROSENHAN (1973)
     • scientific procedure
     • pseudo patients were given strict ways to act within the hopsital
     • relaibility