Psychology as a Science

Science has these main feature:

1. Objectivity- Impossible in science to gain totally, but still important

2. Controlled Observations- Specific manipulation, usually of environment

3. Paradigm- Theoretical orientation

4. Replicability- Repeatabled, to find consisent findings.

Scientific method is induction and decution:

• Making observations (Induction)
• Producing laws/theories (Induction)
• Generate hypothesis (Deducution)
• Test via experiment (Deduction)
• Reject or refine theory (Deduction)

Agurments for Psychology as a Science

1. Scientific knowledge is more useful than ''common sense''

• Understanding human behaviour, allowing the production of verifiable knowledge, and distanting from common sense psychology.
• Creating proof
• Only scientific psychology can provide this.

2. Psychology is a science because it uses the scientific method to gain knowledge

• Coming up with theories, making hypthesis, testing these theories, and modifing results, to rejects or refine hypothesis.
• Hypothetico-Decductive Method.

3. Some areas of Psychology are certainely scientific

• Idea that everything has a cause, and needs investigating to…