What Makes Psychology a Science?

Psychology is not a Science! That's what THEY say.

Many people think that Psychology is not a scientific discipline. They claim that case histories and therapeutic techniques used in Psychology are not valid ways of studying and treating mental disorders. Some even go beyond criticizing research methods and claim that Statistics, a commonly used technique for data analysis, is not a valid way of establishing scientific truths. Furthermore, the topics on self-esteem, motivation and creativity, they say, are too subjective to be studied scientifically. When you search the internet, it may seem obvious that articles filed under "Psychology" are simple, logical and not-so-scientific, compared to those in the fields of Biology and Physics. Thus, people who claim that Psychology is not a science are fairly common. The media seems to be legitimate evidence that Science in Psychology is a fraud.

The problem with the above-mentioned claims, however, is that the sources, themselves, did not study Psychology as rigorously as any Psychology major would. Plus, Psychology articles in the web, if ever written by credible and experienced psychologists, are only simplified to cater to the general audience. The rigor of a study's methodology and data analysis are not presented to save space and facilitate a more layman understanding of the subject. Thus, any critical evaluation of a psychological article should be made directly from the research paper in which it was based. Lastly, methods used in Psychology are not as simple as they seem to be.

Scientific disciplines are usually classified into two: the Physical Sciences and the Social Sciences. When you search for a Psychology book in the library, you will most likely end up in the Social Sciences section, perhaps even near to Philosophy. This is because the field of Psychology has its historical roots in Philosophy. Old-age philosophical inquiries to Being and Personality are studied psychologically.

Psychology is considered a social science because psychological principles affect social life - people and institutions alike. Oftentimes, the purpose of any psychological research is to make the world a better place to live in, that is, socially.

Scientific Attitudes

Just like other scientists, psychologists embrace scientific values in their research. In turn, these values shape psychologists and manifest themselves as attitudes in which all scientific studies are made. Any person who embodies these characteristics is considered to be a scientist. In this light, Biologists, Chemists, Physicists are no different from each other when they practice:

Curiosity. A scientist has a curious mind. He constantly finds interest in anything related to his field of study. For instance, psychologists are eternally interested in find out the causes of behaviors and mental processes.
Skepticism. A scientist does not accept claims at face value. He digs deep and questions supposed "truths" and assumptions made in his field of study. For instance, psychologists challenge sweeping and simplistic claims on the nature of personality and intelligence.
Objectivity. Human language is said to be full of ambiguity. In order to eliminate confusion and prevent misinterpretation, a scientist strives to clarify his words. Thus, a psychologist may define classroom self-esteem as the frequency in which a student participates in class.
Critical Thinking. A scientist is critical not just of other people's work, but also of himself. He evaluates the evidence and the method rigorously, identifying both the strengths and weaknesses of a research study. For example, psychologists typically include recommendations at the last part of their research studies to indicate how future studies can improve upon them. Thus, psychologists do not try to hide the limitations of their studies, but instead exposes them to help consumers make informed choices about their studies.

The above-listed scientific attitudes are ideal and are not always possessed by people considered to be scientists. Sometimes, too, psychologists become too attached to the remarkable logic of a single perspective that they fall short of thinking critically about its claims. The same thing goes with various theories in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method is what all scientists use to arrive at scientific truths. It's what makes a discpline scientific or not. And just like any other scientific discipline, Psychology uses the scientific method to study behaviors and mental processes. Below is the step-by-step guide for using the scientific method in psychological research.

Conceptualizing Problems. Problems in Psychology may spring from curiosity of a psychological phenomenon or skepticism of a particular theory. For example, a Psychologist may ask what effects does stress have on memory, or he may question the degree in which nature or the environment affect human behavior. Whatever the source of the problem may be, it is imperative that a psychologist clarifies the psychological concepts used in stating the problem, along with the possible hypotheses that can be generated from it.
Collecting Data. After identifying the problem or set of problems to be solved in a research study, a Psychologist needs to choose which method can best be used to answer the problems posed. Each research method has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending upon the nature of the problem being addressed. Another important thing a psychologist has to consider under this step is to have an idea of the participants to be included in the study. Thus, not only is the method required to be identified, but also the source of the research data must be adequately described. For instance, a study of risky behaviors leading to teen pregnancy requires that participants became pregnant during their teenage years. Because such a population is too many to be studied one by one, a psychologist may opt to limit the population into a more representative sample. This can be done by Random Sampling, in which members of the population have an equal chance to be studied), and generalizations that can be made across research studies. The latter part could mean that one study will focus on teenage pregnancy in the United States, another in European countries, and still another in Asian countries. In this way, although the psychologist was not able to study the entire the population who underwent teenage pregnancy, the psychologist has a fair grasp on the nature of the phenomenon through the representativeness of the sample used.
Analyzing Data. Once research data are gathered, the psychologist can proceed to analyzing them. A common technique used in analyzing data quantitatively is by the use of Statistics. Statistics has been fundamental in describing and inferring conclusions about psychological phenomenon. Just like choosing the best research method to be used in the study, the choice of which statistical technique to use depends upon the goals of the research study, all of which are objectively stated at Step 1.

On Animal Research

5% of the participants in psychological research are animals, 90% of which are rodents. According to Neal Miller (1985), animal research has large contribution in the field of psychotherapy and behavioral medicine, particularly in the treatment of anxiety and other mental problems, in the rehabilitation of neuromuscular disorders, in the alleviation of memory deficits, in reducing the effects of stress and pain, in methods of preventing drug addiction and relapse, and ways of helping premature infants gain weight. Because APA guidelines on informed consent, confidentiality, deception and debriefing are not applicable to animal participants, a separate set of guidelines is issued to protect the rights of these animals. First, the potential benefit to humans must be weighed against the potential harm to the animals involved in research. Then, a system for housing, feeding and maintaining the physical and psychological well-being of the animals must be delineated and approved upon by a committee on animal research.

Gender Bias

Gender Bias involves preconceived notion about men and women. It influences psychological research in terms of choosing the research topic, the gender of the participants, and the research design. For instance, when Psychology was at its early stage, results from studies using male participants are extended to females. It is also evident nowadays that Pop Psychology unduly magnifies gender differences, especially in terms of intelligence. The result is a vicious cycle that perpetuates stereotype about men and women. Today, psychologists attempt to reduce gender bias by reorganizing theories that are originally based on research involving only male participants, to include the female population.

Ethnic and Cultural Bias

Research bias is not only evident on women. In psychological research, bias in terms of ethnicity and culture is also widespread. Early psychological research did not involve the participation of some ethnic minorities. Because education is considered a form of luxury in the early 1900s, data from ethnic minorities through psychological tests constructed primarily by western psychologists are clumped together as Data Noise. Furthermore, consumers of psychological information tend to adopt Ethnic Gloss, viewing ethnicity as more homogenous than it really is. Psychologists strive to avoid ethnic gloss by becoming more specific in their description of the research participants - including important information on their social background, residence, use of language and birth location. Psychologists also warn their readers of the limited generalizability of their results and recommend future studies involving participants of other ethnicity. Just like addressing gender bias, psychologists are increasingly revising theories made from research on western participants to include recent findings from cross-cultural research.

Consuming Psychological Information

The most common modes of distributing information from psychological research are the television and the internet. In order to capture the viewer or the reader to attend and listen to the "news," the media oftentimes follow trends and sensationalize or exaggerate research findings. Because of limited airtime (and perhaps because of short attention span of the audience), the "news" presented usually lacks information on the participants, the research design, and criticisms made by other experts on the field. In addition, reporters oftentimes do not distinguish between causation and correlation, leading to possible confusion and misunderstanding of research implications. In order to become wise consumers, the following set of guidelines is recommended for evaluating psychological research presented in the television and the web:

Distinguish between group results and individual needs. Just because a research finding shows that a certain group tends to act or become this or that way doesn't apply for all. For example, if a research finding states that males tend to act more aggressively than females, it doesn't mean that your boy best friend acts more aggressively than your girl best friend. Always remember that aside from being social, human beings are also unique, both in genetics and in experience.
Avoid generalizing from a small sample. Most psychological studies are conducted using university students as participants, usually at a number ranging from 20-100. A small sample cannot represent the psychology of the national population, especially of the entire human race.
Avoid generalizing from a single study. Every psychological research has its own strengths and weaknesses. Similar findings from multiple studies provide reliability to research results by highlighting the strengths and reducing the weaknesses of a single study.
Differentiate between causation and correlation. Correlation means that the pattern of two sets of data shows a relationship, but this relationship cannot be explained in terms of which set causes the other. On the other hand, causation means that in the two sets of data, one set directly causes the other.
Consider the source of information. Any writer or reporter can write and talk about anything under the sun. Because academic journals and credible newspapers and magazines employ professional editorial board to review and prevent distortion of information, they stand much higher against the popular tabloids in terms of reputation and credibility. But even with these media, a consumer of psychological information should remain critical about the "facts" presented to him.

Research Challenges Plague the Scientific Community

The above-presented problems in research anticipated by most psychologists are present in other scientific disciplines as well, although in varied forms. Thus, it stands to reason that research problems do not reflect lack of anything scientific in a discipline. In fact, recognizing limitations in research makes science more rigorous than other forms of inquiry.