‘Outline and evaluate the features of science in psychological research’ (16 marks)
One feature of science in psychological research is that it should be objective which means
that results and findings from the study should be based on factual evidence rather than
subjective opinions. For example, when Kamarck conducted a study on measures of blood
pressure with and without social support, this produced empirical and quantitative data
from the reading of the blood pressure and this was purely based on scientific facts rather
than his opinion which makes it more reliable when making a cause and effect relationship
between variables. Another feature of science is the idea of falsifiability of research which is
the idea that you should be able to find contradictory research to a theory for it to be
accepted to show that something will never be 100% true and there will be occurrences
where the conditions don’t fit the theory. For example, in Freud’s study on psychoanalysis,
his theory comes with methodological criticisms because you cannot falsify it as we cannot
test the unconscious mind which raises concerns on the validity of his theory. Finally,
another feature of science in psychological research is that there are paradigms which are
agreed viewpoints shared by psychologists in the way we behave and theories that are
accepted within psychological society. However, when new theories and research come
about, these paradigms can change causing a paradigm shift. For example, when
homosexuality used to be seen as a mental health disorder and now it is widely accepted in
society this shows a shift in belief.
One advantage of psychology as a science is that when conducting these studies they tend
to be conducted in lab conditions. For example, in Karmack’s study, variables such as
duration they were holding hands for and sex of the people and age ranges were all
controlled to allow for the study to be repeated easily. Therefore, this removes any risk of
extraneous variables affecting the results produced thus increasing the internal validity of
studies conducted in this controlled condition. However, to counteract this, this may raise
some methodological concerns as this means that the settings were artificial. For example,
when measuring the blood pressure in Karmack’s study, we don’t know whether this would
be applicable in real life scenarios too because the variables had been manipulated to lab
settings. Therefore this reduces the mundane realism of psychology as a science and using
controlled variables thus reducing the external validity of the theories produces from the
scientific cycles.
Another advantage of psychology using features of science such as objective and empirical
evidence is that it has led to practical applications. For example, when studying how levels
of adrenaline can impact stress levels, this produces empirical results which allowed
psychologists to develop drug therapies such as beta blockers to counteract these changes
in adrenaline to help treat the symptoms of stress. Therefore, this has led to a wide range of
treatment options available for people suffering from disorders thus improving their quality
of life. However, using a scientific approach when determining behaviour can reduce
behaviour down to oversimplified theories. For example, if we are reducing stress down to
high adrenaline levels, this then ignores any other external influences such as upbringing or
current state of the person which could also impact stress levels. Therefore, this ignores
additional factors which could also prove useful indicators of these disorders such as high
stress thus the scientific process doesn’t give room for multiple theories and a holistic
approach.
One feature of science in psychological research is that it should be objective which means
that results and findings from the study should be based on factual evidence rather than
subjective opinions. For example, when Kamarck conducted a study on measures of blood
pressure with and without social support, this produced empirical and quantitative data
from the reading of the blood pressure and this was purely based on scientific facts rather
than his opinion which makes it more reliable when making a cause and effect relationship
between variables. Another feature of science is the idea of falsifiability of research which is
the idea that you should be able to find contradictory research to a theory for it to be
accepted to show that something will never be 100% true and there will be occurrences
where the conditions don’t fit the theory. For example, in Freud’s study on psychoanalysis,
his theory comes with methodological criticisms because you cannot falsify it as we cannot
test the unconscious mind which raises concerns on the validity of his theory. Finally,
another feature of science in psychological research is that there are paradigms which are
agreed viewpoints shared by psychologists in the way we behave and theories that are
accepted within psychological society. However, when new theories and research come
about, these paradigms can change causing a paradigm shift. For example, when
homosexuality used to be seen as a mental health disorder and now it is widely accepted in
society this shows a shift in belief.
One advantage of psychology as a science is that when conducting these studies they tend
to be conducted in lab conditions. For example, in Karmack’s study, variables such as
duration they were holding hands for and sex of the people and age ranges were all
controlled to allow for the study to be repeated easily. Therefore, this removes any risk of
extraneous variables affecting the results produced thus increasing the internal validity of
studies conducted in this controlled condition. However, to counteract this, this may raise
some methodological concerns as this means that the settings were artificial. For example,
when measuring the blood pressure in Karmack’s study, we don’t know whether this would
be applicable in real life scenarios too because the variables had been manipulated to lab
settings. Therefore this reduces the mundane realism of psychology as a science and using
controlled variables thus reducing the external validity of the theories produces from the
scientific cycles.
Another advantage of psychology using features of science such as objective and empirical
evidence is that it has led to practical applications. For example, when studying how levels
of adrenaline can impact stress levels, this produces empirical results which allowed
psychologists to develop drug therapies such as beta blockers to counteract these changes
in adrenaline to help treat the symptoms of stress. Therefore, this has led to a wide range of
treatment options available for people suffering from disorders thus improving their quality
of life. However, using a scientific approach when determining behaviour can reduce
behaviour down to oversimplified theories. For example, if we are reducing stress down to
high adrenaline levels, this then ignores any other external influences such as upbringing or
current state of the person which could also impact stress levels. Therefore, this ignores
additional factors which could also prove useful indicators of these disorders such as high
stress thus the scientific process doesn’t give room for multiple theories and a holistic
approach.
