Is Psychology a Science - Essay Example

The evidence was hard in that it was specific and there was little to no deviation in what should occur, Psychology is the science and study of human behavior, however there are a few ways that make psychology more unique than that of the natural and computational sciences. The field of psychology was pioneered by those that had little training in what would be considered modern psychology, but were practiced medical doctors such as Freud, Jung, and Adler. They were psychiatrists who specialized in psychopharmacology and other diseases of the mind.

Therefore, they took a biological perspective in explaining human behavior. Next, the behaviorists came along and came up with a new way of explaining human behavior, which was supported via observable evidence such as the case was with Skinner modeling superstition in pigeons (Lamal, 2009) and Bandura’s study of human aggression through Social Modeling Theory (Bandura, Ross, & Ross, 1961). Therefore, there are many ways to look at the same construct such as in the nature vs. nurture debate.

As a result, there are many different theories from psychoanalysis to realism, which address the same concept, but look at it from different perspectives. Due to the numerous theories that can be drawn from a singular topic, this is why psychology has often been labeled a “soft science”. . Statistical analysis is used on both qualitative and quantitative data that is gathered through inventories and direct observations. The data is then compiled into a computer program known as SPSS. Depending on the test, it gives a probability level, which gives an indication to whether or not the data that is being analyzed was caused by randomness.

As a result, there can never be a probability indicating that none of the data was caused by chance due to external variables that are always affecting the experiment (Gravetter, & Wallnau, 2008). Another quality of natural sciences is the ability to repeat experiments in both the natural world as well as in the laboratory. The applicability of the study to the observable world is known as external validity and the ability to observe the study under laboratory conditions is known as internal validity.

In the case of human experimentations, there are certain ethics set by the APA, American Psychological Association, which dictates whether or not participants can be used (American Psychological Association, 2010). In addition, human behavior is complex and always changing. What may be observed one day may not be observable the next, even with the same individual. Behavior observed in the laboratory may have no applicability in the real world. An example of this concept is what is known as the Hawthore effect.

The Hawthore effect states that people will change their behavior when they know they are being watched or studied. As a result, psychologists have to take into account this effect because sometimes participants will act in a manner different from how they normally do because they want to behave in a way that the psychologist is testing for (Draper, 2010). Even though psychology is a