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The scientific method of psychology
Use of the scientific method psychology
What makes psychology scientific
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The reliability and usefulness of a theory in psychology is extremely important as psychology can deal with very sensitive topics, help implement social policies and treat patients. As psychology is a subject that is involved in a number of areas, the theories that are posited by researchers need to be as accurate as possible. One way to do this is to look back in history and find examples of good scientific practices and understand what made them good. John Snow is known today as a monumental figure in the creation of modern epidemiology (Simmons, 2002) as he was the person to eradicate the cholera outbreaks from the 19th century that have completely ravaged Europe. One of the most affected cities in Europe was London where …show more content…
Given that both these groups were exposed to the smell, and only one of the groups got sick and not both, was enough empirical evidence to prove Snow’s theory, that indeed cholera is a water transmitted disease. However this was not the only way in which he investigated his idea. The other strategy employed by Snow was to remove the handle of the water pump in Broad Street as according to his data, there was a conglomeration of cholera cases in the area surrounding this specific pump (Snow, 1855). Naturally his assumptions were correct and as people could not drink water from the pump the number of cholera cases lowered. His way of testing this shows that one test is not always enough, and in order for an assumption to be made stronger it needs to be tested in various ways to give an accurate overview of the issue. One of the key aspects that can be taken from Snow’s work is that in order to prove a theory or hypothesis a researcher needs to use systematic empiricism or in simpler terms, the scientific method. The use of the scientific method is important as it allows for an in depth observation …show more content…
This was illustrated by the difficulties he encountered when trying to publish his work as other scientists contemporary to him believed his water borne theory was wrong due to lack of sufficient evidence. The idea of contradictions being a positive thing for a theory might seem strange, however it is now known that the ability to think of an aspect that would make a theory redundant shows that indeed the theory has basis in reality and does not exist just through the researcher’s bias. On the other hand if no arguments can be brought against it or if the theory or idea cannot be disproved even if at a hypothetical level, said theory cannot be proved or said to be useful in identifying what it was set to identify. In simpler words, if there is nothing that suggests an idea is incorrect, it doesn’t mean that this vacuum can automatically declare an idea is right and as a general rule in the scientific world, good theories are and should be
As the days went by and the number of deaths began to increase, the Board of Health in London began to improve people’s living conditions by creating the indoor restroom, This, however, caused more problems for the people of London, due to the lack of a proper sewage system, “London needed a citywide sewage system that could remove waste products from houses in a reliable and sanitary fashion,...,The problem was one of jurisdiction, not execution,”(Page 117). London didn’t have a place where the sewers could lead off to which keep the disease spreading when people used the restroom. After months of battling the type of disease London was faced with, Mr. Snow convinced the Board of Health to remove the water pump that was on Board Street. By getting rid of this pump, Mr. Snow helped stop major outbreaks from recurring, “The removal of the pump handle was a historical turning point, and not because it marked the end of London’s most explosive epidemic,..., It marks a turning point in the battle between urban man and Vibrio cholera, because for the first time a public institution had made an informed intervention into a cholera outbreak based on a scientifically sound theory of the disease.”(Page 162- 163). This marked the end of the London epidemic and how the world of science
Johnson’s story follows the journeys of characters we come to know well and their reactions to the cholera outbreak. Our interest is kept by the ongoing revelation of important information, and the developing conflict between a major character and his view of the epidemic versus that of majority of others, both in the scientific community and the population at large. He keeps us guessing about how and if the mystery will be solved and at the same time recreates a world that is completely unknown to us.
The scientific method is how psychologists gain knowledge about the mind and behavior. It is used by all scientists. The experimental method is the one way to engage the scientific method, and the only way to find a cause and effect in relationships. It is summarized in five steps, observing some phenomenon in the world, forming a hypothesis which is an educated prediction about relationships between two or more variables, examining the gathered information by using empirical research, determining what the results are and drawing them, and evaluating the results whether it will support the hypothesis or not. Researchers, at the end, submit their work for publication for all to see and read (King, 2016). There are three types of psychological research in the scientific method, descriptive research, correlation, and experimental research (King, 2016). The article The Effects of Negative Body Talk in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of College Students (Katrevich, Register, & Aruguete, 2014) is an example of the experimental method.
The development of psychology like all other sciences started with great minds debating unknown topics and searching for unknown answers. Early philosophers and psychologists such as Sir Francis Bacon and Charles Darwin took a scientific approach to psychology by introducing the ideas of measurement and biology into the way an indi...
Science is a construction of the human mind. The theories, approaches, and methods that are used in any scientific field have gradually developed over time to become an objective standard of evaluation. As science continues to evolve, new approaches to obtaining knowledge about the world around us must be considered, and at the same time these new approaches must be evaluated within the present context of what is considered to be science. In doing so, conflict and confusion will arise as new concepts meet the critical evaluation of the old. The appraisal of and criticism of a new approach to psychological therapy is one example of such a situation. By looking at the evaluation of constructivist psychotherapy, one can bring this conflict and confusion into the light of understanding.
The study of psychology began as a theoretical subject a branch of ancient philosophy, and later as a part of biological sciences and physiology. However, over the years, it has grown into a rigorous science and a separate discipline, with its own sets of guidance and experimental techniques. This paper aims to study the various stages that the science of psychology passed through to reach its contemporary status, and their effects on its development. It begins with an overview of the historical and philosophical basis of psychology, discusses the development of the various schools of thought, and highlights their effects on contemporary personal and professional decision-making.
After careful observation by medical specialists around the country, it is established that the present form of influenza is no different from any other form of influenza in English history. Influenza in the epidemic form has visited England previously in 1709, 1732 as well as in 1890.1
This essay examines the advantages and disadvantages of using a method primarily for gathering research on human subjects that can be examined for later use. It will give a basic outline of the methods of investigation, their uses and their suitability. I will also look at the scientific method as a whole and examine the criticisms of this method using the writings of Hume and Popper.
Rieber, R. W. (2001). Wilhelm Wundt in history: the making of a scientific psychology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Rosenberg, C. E. (1987). The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832,1849, and 1866. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. In psychology, and all of the other sciences, relying on opinions is abandoned in order to find out which explanations best fit the evidence or data given. Science continually forces us to question our findings and conclusions. Over time, psychology has advanced greatly and a main reason for such progressiveness is because of the change in the research model used.
Hergenhahn, B.R. (2009). Social and Theoretical Psychology: Conceptual and Historical Issues 1. An introduction to the History of Psychology. 1 (1), p1-28.
Kanungo S, Sah B, Nair G, et al. Cholera in India: an analysis of reports, 1997--2006. Bulin Of The WHO. March 2010;88(3):185-191. Available from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ehost/detail?vid=9&sid=77c95b18-e865-4830-92c0-5c437de5b317%40sessionmgr110&hid=120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=48584940. Accessed April 12, 2014.
In this essay I am looking at where Psychology as a discipline has come from and what affects these early ideas have had on psychology today, Psychology as a whole has stemmed from a number of different areas of study from Physics to Biology,
As the western world expand many people became ill with cholera because of overcrowding in living space, in some cities overcrowding often involved quarters below street level, where water was constantly seeping in the living area. In many Latin and African country the cholera virus is more common because of poor hygiene, poor sanitation and lack of education on public health. In an outbreak, the source of the contamination is usually the feces of an infected person that contaminates water or food. The disease can spread like wild fire in areas with poor treatment of sewage and drinking water. In Europe in the 1800s many people became infected with cholera because there water drawn from the nearby streams and rive...