Disadvantages of using scientific methods in psychology

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What is the first disadvantage of using scientific methods?
the findings will be low on external validity
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Why?
scientific methods often involve studying pps in artificial surroundings, such as a lab
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For example, What was Asch's findings on conformity?
not a reflection of real life
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In addition, scientific findings lack what?
historical validity
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why?
they are a reflection, in this case of 1950s America during the era of McCarthyism of one specific time
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If the task was completed today, What might pps do?
not conform to the majority
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nor may they do what?
in a work or school environment with friends rather than strnagers
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Thus weakening what?
the use of scientific methods as they don not paint a picture of real life
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What is the second disadvantage of research?
they are inevitably subjective
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why?
the experimenter and pps are both human, and thus research is a social process
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Why does this mean it is difficult to be objective?
in psychological research and experimenter bias and demand characteristics are inevitable
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REsearchers want to collect data that will what?
support their hypothesis
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and pps want to be?
'good pps to please the researcher
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For example, Rosenthal founf out what?
his psychology students results in the rat maze study supported the hypotheses they were given to test
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Rats labelled as 'bright' what?
out performed the 'dull rats' in the T maze task
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What happened in reality?
labels were randomly assigned
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thus scientific methods although seemingly reliable, might contain what?
bias weakening arguments for their use
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It could also be argued that many scientific methods in psychology use what?
animals
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This is more scientific than research on?
humans
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Why?
due to the additional control over upbringing
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Studies using animals are?
biased
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Why?
the way that the experiments are designed and the interpretation of data can be manipulated by the researcher
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because?
animals are unable to communicate and hence findings are often only 'the best guest'
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In addition it is hard to?
generalise results from animals to humans and hence the use of more scientific methods might be detrimental to applications
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The third disadvantage is that scientific methods?
ignore the personal view of the pp
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For example?
the feelings and opinions that make us human
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why?
science aims to be quantitativ
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What does it see no place for?
qualititative words and language
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What is this the form of?
in which people portray the feelings and values that make them human
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For example?
the findings of Buss' study of mate preference were purely quantitative
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What does this suggest?
pps were not able to give their own personal views on mating and dating
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they could only what?
answer the questions on the questionnaire given the responses available
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thus what?
results of scientific methods do not allow for personalised outcomes
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What is the last disadvantage of using scientific method?
is that it produces findings which are reductionist and deterministic
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From a non scientific view point what are these characteristics?
negative
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Why?
if the findings are reductionist (Rahe's conclusion that stress and illness are positively correlated with previous life events
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they are what?
oversimplified
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Which is not?
appropriate when explaining complex behaviour such as stresss and illness
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Non scientists are also not keen on deterministic explanations as they neglect?
the importance of free will and individual differences
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Card 2

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Why?

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scientific methods often involve studying pps in artificial surroundings, such as a lab

Card 3

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For example, What was Asch's findings on conformity?

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Card 4

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In addition, scientific findings lack what?

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Card 5

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why?

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