Critical Psychological Aproaches - Essay Example

More specifically, the paper will dwell on the arguments raised by critical psychologists concerning the use of experiments. Why do critical psychological approaches argue against the use of experiments in psychological research? According to Breakwell (2006), some research methods in psychology rely on the use of experiments to come up with the results of a study. These experiments may include use of such methods as surveys and observations. Critical psychologists assert that experiments cannot be regarded as an objective method of conducting research.

They raise arguments such as the inability of experiments to measure such phenomenon as thinking, personality, and emotions directly. As a result, the findings of an experimental study may be subjective. Thus, the fact that experiments may lack objectivity leads to criticism of this method in conducting psychological research. Any research should be objective to get rid of biases in the final results. Critical psychological approaches discredit the use of experiments on the basis that they do not portray a clear picture of the real world.

In psychological research experiments, researchers control the variables with an aim of establishing causality. This results to simplification of an event or a situation making it artificial (Davis, 2003). Therefore, the use of control experiments in conducting research may lead to inaccurate results. Researchers have ultimate control of the research process; this makes it artificial while it should be natural to achieve accurate findings. Experiments cannot be used to study all aspects since they tend to be limiting.

For example, psychological researchers may not control variables adequately to warrant the use of experiments (Bernstein, 2010). Psychological experiments may not be typical and applicable in real life situations. Most of these experiments take place in laboratories where subjects may be asked to perform some unusual tasks (Breakwell, 2006). Since laboratories do not provide an environment for natural behaviors, it may lead to distortion of behavior. The behavior witnessed in one situation may be different from the one in another situation since the conditions may vary.

Therefore, it becomes hard to generalize findings from experimental psychology since they cannot be termed as ecologically suitable (Myers & Hansen, 2011). Thus, the use of experiments in psychological research can be criticized because they lack validity. Methods used in research should be valid in order to produce reliable results. Critical approaches in psychology have criticized experiments by arguing that they may be biased. The samples used in experiments may not represent the entire population.

For example, some experiments use college students because they may be cheaper and accessible than other members of the population (Myers & Hansen, 2011). The results tend to be generalized to other members of the population. This means that the results of the studies cannot be trusted since college students cannot be regarded as typical to the population in terms variables. The students may, for example, be different from other members of the society in terms of age, social class, gender, and personality.

In addition, these students may be psychology students who should participate in the experiments as part of the course requirements. Therefore, samples used in most psychological researches may be inappropriate since they do not meet the required