PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
● PSYCHOLOGY is defined as the scientific study of human behavior & mental
processes
● also the application of scientific research to “help people, organizations, and communities
function better” (American Psychological Association, 2011)1.
● By far the most common and widely known application is the clinical practice of
psychology—the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and related
problems.
○ These include clinical and counseling psychologists, school psychologists,
marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, and others who
work with people individually or in small groups to identify and help address their
psychological problems.
METHODS OF INQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
● There’s 5 methods to acquiring knowledge - Intuition, Authority, Rationalism,
Empiricism, & Scientific Method
● INTUITION - Beliefs, subject to biases . But our “gut feeling” can be life saving
○ However, it cannot always be rely on according to science
● AUTHORITY - Someone who you trust & you listen to them b/c they said so! They are
usually experts & know what they are talking about (for the most part).
● RATIONALISM - Logic & reasoning. But premises might be wrong , or logic could be
fallacious.
● EMPIRICISM - Observation & experience . BASIS for scientific knowledge. But not
enough on its own.
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD - The process of systematically collecting & evaluating evidence
to test ideas & answer questions. Requires time & resources & cannot answer all
questions
○ Scientists go a step further by using systematic empiricism to make careful
observations under various controlled conditions in order to test their ideas & they
use rationalism to arrive at valid conclusions
○ Problem: This method can require considerable time and resources. Another
problem with the scientific method is that it cannot be used to answer all
questions. The scientific method can only be used to address empirical
questions.
● NONE OF THESE ARE RIGHT OR WRONG WAYS OF KNOWING. ITS JUST NOT
SCIENTIFIC!
, WHY DID PSYCHOLOGY CHOOSE THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD?
CHALLENGES PHASES
Psychology is a science, but not a physical trying to prove our subject as a science meant
one. We cannot put people under a we were trying to look like an objective.
microscope & measure them w/ a beaker
We study humans —— who are incredibly ● * phrenology (1796) - start to consider
variable the role of the brain , but w/o good
tools.
● psychoanalysis(1896)- motivations
from internal drives.
● behaviorism (early 1900s) - Pavlov’s
dog & conditioning - but w/ mind as a
black box .
● cognitive revolution - modern day
neuroscience (EEG, MRI, PET scans,
measuring reaction time & eye)
All the more reason to critically examine But w/ each new school of thought, we still
research must deal w/ inexact answers to our questions
FEATURES OF SCIENCE:
● SYSTEMATIC EMPIRICISM: Learning based on observation
○ learning based on observation, and scientists learn about the natural world
systematically, by carefully planning, making, recording, and analyzing
observations of it.
● EMPIRICAL QUESTIONS: Questions about how the world actually is that can be
answered through systematic observation
● PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE: Contributing to the “literature”or “body of knowledge”
● PSYCHOLOGY is defined as the scientific study of human behavior & mental
processes
● also the application of scientific research to “help people, organizations, and communities
function better” (American Psychological Association, 2011)1.
● By far the most common and widely known application is the clinical practice of
psychology—the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders and related
problems.
○ These include clinical and counseling psychologists, school psychologists,
marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, and others who
work with people individually or in small groups to identify and help address their
psychological problems.
METHODS OF INQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
● There’s 5 methods to acquiring knowledge - Intuition, Authority, Rationalism,
Empiricism, & Scientific Method
● INTUITION - Beliefs, subject to biases . But our “gut feeling” can be life saving
○ However, it cannot always be rely on according to science
● AUTHORITY - Someone who you trust & you listen to them b/c they said so! They are
usually experts & know what they are talking about (for the most part).
● RATIONALISM - Logic & reasoning. But premises might be wrong , or logic could be
fallacious.
● EMPIRICISM - Observation & experience . BASIS for scientific knowledge. But not
enough on its own.
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD - The process of systematically collecting & evaluating evidence
to test ideas & answer questions. Requires time & resources & cannot answer all
questions
○ Scientists go a step further by using systematic empiricism to make careful
observations under various controlled conditions in order to test their ideas & they
use rationalism to arrive at valid conclusions
○ Problem: This method can require considerable time and resources. Another
problem with the scientific method is that it cannot be used to answer all
questions. The scientific method can only be used to address empirical
questions.
● NONE OF THESE ARE RIGHT OR WRONG WAYS OF KNOWING. ITS JUST NOT
SCIENTIFIC!
, WHY DID PSYCHOLOGY CHOOSE THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD?
CHALLENGES PHASES
Psychology is a science, but not a physical trying to prove our subject as a science meant
one. We cannot put people under a we were trying to look like an objective.
microscope & measure them w/ a beaker
We study humans —— who are incredibly ● * phrenology (1796) - start to consider
variable the role of the brain , but w/o good
tools.
● psychoanalysis(1896)- motivations
from internal drives.
● behaviorism (early 1900s) - Pavlov’s
dog & conditioning - but w/ mind as a
black box .
● cognitive revolution - modern day
neuroscience (EEG, MRI, PET scans,
measuring reaction time & eye)
All the more reason to critically examine But w/ each new school of thought, we still
research must deal w/ inexact answers to our questions
FEATURES OF SCIENCE:
● SYSTEMATIC EMPIRICISM: Learning based on observation
○ learning based on observation, and scientists learn about the natural world
systematically, by carefully planning, making, recording, and analyzing
observations of it.
● EMPIRICAL QUESTIONS: Questions about how the world actually is that can be
answered through systematic observation
● PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE: Contributing to the “literature”or “body of knowledge”
