Should Psychology Be Considered As A Science - 1353 Words

There is much debate as to whether Psychology can be regarded as a ‘science’. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (Coleman, 2009) Psychology can be defined as the ‘scientific study of human behaviour and cognitive processes.’ Science is generally defined as the ‘systematic way or method of obtaining knowledge’ (Merriam-Webster, 2008). When we think of science, we think of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Psychology is often thought of as just ‘common sense’, however many of the perspectives in Psychology such as Biological, Behaviourist and Cognitive assert that they are scientific. There are other perspectives in Psychology such as Psychodynamic theory and Humanist which are considered to be non-scientific. It is also important to consider the major features of a science, in order to judge whether Psychology can in fact be considered as one. This assignment will aim to answer the question by first looking at whether Psychology is a definable subject matter (Kuhn, 1970). The next paragraph will focus on the importance of the role of theory. This represents an attempt to explain observed phenomena, such as Skinner’s (1938) attempt to account for behaviour (human and non-human) in terms of operant conditioning. Furthermore, any science must have a hypothesis and be able to test them by making predictions about behaviour under certain conditions. Also, empirical methods and replication will be discussed as well. According to Kuhn (1970), for a subject to beShow MoreRelatedIs Psychology a Science? Essay1133 Words   |  5 PagesSociety states that ‘Psychology is the scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour’ (BPS). 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. It is widely suggested that Psychology is a â€Å"coalition of specialities† meaning it is multi-disciplinary (Hewstone, Fincham and Foster 2005, page 4). I will therefore examine whether it could be considered wrong to think thatRead MoreDiscuss to What Extent Psychology Can Be Considered a Science.1129 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Extent Psychology Can Be Considered a Science. According to Merriam Webster (2008), science is a, â€Å"knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method†, with scientific method in five steps being, â€Å"observation/research, hypothesis, prediction, experimentation and conclusion.† (sciencemadesimple.com, 2006). With this to consider, is psychology a science and if so, to what extent. It would be fair to say that psychology has not alwaysRead MoreThe Migram Experiment1309 Words   |  5 Pageselectric short because of the necessity to obey the authority. It is logical that psy-scientist do not recognize the experiment as an objective process because some of the assumptions made are relative. For instance, the participants could not be considered aggressive, but the majority of those were make, who are more predisposed to violence and aggression. For instance, the experiment could be regarded as the dramatization of the individual capacity for violence. Denouncing the results was predeterminedRead MoreSkinner s View On Psychology And The Contrasting Views Of The Mentalists1497 Words   |  6 PagesThis essay will explore B. F. Skinner†™s view on the focus of psychology and the contrasting view of the mentalists. It will then go on to consider the benefits of Skinners way of seeing psychology and thus how he was able to turn psychology into a science with measurable outcomes and bring evidence into a subject that had become subjective and unquantifiable. â€Æ' Purpose of Psychology Skinner stated that the purpose of psychology should be the study of behaviour. He had come to this conclusion whilstRead MoreHuman Behavior And The Functions Of Humans1632 Words   |  7 PagesToday, we use psychology to study human behavior and the functions of humans. We incorporate science to help us test possible theories and proceed with experiments that could help bring answers to society. The biggest thing with Science is that theories and hypotheses must be falsifiable and replicable. Science must have terms that can be universally used and understood by everyone. Descartes, James, Freud and Skinner all had trouble grasping that idea. Flanagan goes into detail about these famousRead MoreThe Study Of Psychology And Psychology984 Words   |  4 PagesFirstly, it is important to know what is meant by the term â€Å"science†, and then to establish whether psychology adheres to this. The Oxford English Dictionary defines science as â€Å"the study or knowledge of the ph ysical world, based on observation and experiment†. This immediately raises issues about this debate as many areas of psychological research do not involve the observable. For example, the areas of Clinical and Counselling psychology rely on a patient’s thoughts and feelings to help determineRead MoreIs Psychology A Science?1518 Words   |  7 PagesWhether psychology is a science or not has been a long running debate between psychologists and other scientists alike. There have been various attempts at making psychology a scientific discipline in the past such as the movement from behaviourism into cognitivism. Researchers such as Wundt and Watson have worked hard to bring psychology into the world of scientific research and through the years have made a very good start but have they managed to achieve scientific criteria? Berezow (2012) definedRead MoreIs Psychology A Science?998 Words   |  4 PagesThe question that ‘psychology is a Science’ motivates a substantially critical debate amongst many professions, having very strong opinions. To come to a vigorous conclusion on this subject we must take into recognition both sides of the argument, what is science, and weather Psychology meets the principles of Science. In doing this the following essay will be debating the principles of science, the scientific unifying approach, poppers opinion on whether psychology is a science through his theoryRead MoreFree Essay Is a Scam1711 Words   |  7 Pagescompassion, a brother for whom Christ died. Myers believes Christians must appreciate the essential role of science in nuturing curiosity and humility. This will put a wrongheaded notion about existence to an empirical test. The levels-of-explanation view believes humans are best understood in terms of hierarchy of levels or disciplines of rela tive complexity that should not be confused. Ones faith should not affect the other levels or disciplines. The levels of explanation view looks at the biological,Read MoreLegalizing Abortion770 Words   |  4 Pageseveryone has thought about it at least once. Abortion is the deliberate killing of the weakest and most defenseless among us. There can be plausible reasons that they support abortion. However, I oppose to legalize abortion because not only that parents should accept the responsibility that comes with producing a child, but also it is highly risky for women both physically and mentally and the fact that it is undeniably a murder. Firstly, people need to take responsibility for their actions and accept