A friend of yours claims that psychology isn't a science. Explain why your friend is wrong by relating the scientific goals of psychological research to the research methods psychologists use.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Psychology is a science in the sense that researchers in psychology strive to achieve four goals just like scientists in other fields, namely: (1) to describe phenomena, (2) to make predictions about phenomena, (3) to provide control over important variables associated with the phenomena, and thereby (4) to explain how and why the phenomena occur. To achieve these goals, psychologists, like scientists in other fields, employ a variety of research methods. To describe and predict aspects of the phenomena under investigation, psychologists employ (1) naturalistic observation, (2) case studies, and (3) surveys. To control and explain the phenomena, psychologists use (4) experiments, including quasi-experiments, to demonstrate cause-effect relationships among specific variables.Note:An acceptable answer may also include reference to the use of hypotheses, theories, operational definitions, and data, but should include the goals and methods identified above.