is psychology a science? - Page 2 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Cynthetiq · 03-15-2004, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Captain Canada
Psychology is DEFINATELY a science.

nice how people like this back up their arguments with EMPHATIC use of CAPS.

Ilow · 03-17-2004, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tophat665
Nope. It wishes it were, and it pretends to the trappings of scence and empiricism, but, an the bottom of it, it's really just religion gussied up in modernist clothes.

Shamanism works too, but no one ever asks if that's a science.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

To me psychology is a science because it endeavours to be a science. While some sciences such as Math can absolutely say the 2+2=4, is it a bit of a fallacious argument to compare that with psychology because in math such as this you are essentially working with a Population and not a sample, and you have also removed all variables. Psychology would be a pure science too if it were able to measure POPULATIONS; instead it must take bits of data in samples of 1067 and attempt to use them to generalize in a meaningful way. You cannot focus on the fact that they are often wrong; chemistry experiments do not always work as planned for unseen reasons too. So to tie back to my original point, science is in a constant state of flux, psychology attempts to use the most advanced and scientific methods at its disposal to generalize and treat a great many disorders. It's not perfect and never will be, but it is always STRIVING to make bigger leaps forward.

smooth · 03-17-2004, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RoboBlaster
I bet if most people could sit in with me on the countless hours of class time going over reasearch methodology and statistical analysis of data, they would see how much of a science it really is.

I ought to wash your mouth out with soap! (Some of us aren't on break yet...)

/smooth sneaks off to finish his methods and stats finals

RoboBlaster · 03-18-2004, 08:55 AM

My apoligies, smooth. Perhaps I should have used the spoilers method of posting that.

Podmore · 03-20-2004, 10:51 PM

I think maybe you're asking the wrong question. Psychology is a science by definition. It is the study of behavior and mental processes. But that doesn't mean that everyone who "contributes" to the field is a scientist. There are a lot of bogus things being called psychology, and there are a lot of conclusions being drawn that are based on unscientific studies.

But we've certainly learned quite a bit of useful stuff about the way the human mind works, and that's what psychology is all about.

3leggedfrog · 03-21-2004, 06:32 AM

hey i agree with Podmore. we have more quacks than many other sciences and it give all psychologist bad names.

tisonlyi · 03-21-2004, 07:39 AM

'new', less well defined areas of research are always infested with quacks.

Though, on the subject of quackery, I believe dentists were considered quacks in the 19th century...

Whats that got to do with anything?

*shrugs*

I dunno.

03-21-2004, 06:32 AM	#46 (permalink)
3leggedfrog Psycho Location: Hiding from the penguins they come to take my sanity away!	hey i agree with Podmore. we have more quacks than many other sciences and it give all psychologist bad names. __________________ "enjoy life to the brim but do not spill it" quoted off my tatoo "Iam myself every day."

03-21-2004, 07:39 AM	#47 (permalink)
tisonlyi Nothing	'new', less well defined areas of research are always infested with quacks. Though, on the subject of quackery, I believe dentists were considered quacks in the 19th century... Whats that got to do with anything? shrugs I dunno. __________________ "I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}--

03-18-2004, 08:55 AM	#44 (permalink)
RoboBlaster Psycho Location: Ouuuterrrr Spaaaaacccceeee	My apoligies, smooth. Perhaps I should have used the spoilers method of posting that.

03-20-2004, 10:51 PM	#45 (permalink)
Podmore Crazy Location: SoCal	I think maybe you're asking the wrong question. Psychology is a science by definition. It is the study of behavior and mental processes. But that doesn't mean that everyone who "contributes" to the field is a scientist. There are a lot of bogus things being called psychology, and there are a lot of conclusions being drawn that are based on unscientific studies. But we've certainly learned quite a bit of useful stuff about the way the human mind works, and that's what psychology is all about.