Is Psychology a Science?

Is Psychology A Science?

When we discuss whether Psychology is a science, we need to understand what psychology is, and simlarities and differences in its characterisitcs. Science is to find the truth and it is also a human endeavor. Psychological researches aim at searching the truth behind human behavior and cognition by scientific methods. Rational thinking, experiments and unbiased, objective observations and not subjective judgements Accurate instruments are being used in psychological experiments, e.g. in measuring physiological status of the subject. Results of psychological reasearchesare based on empirical evidences and systematic controlled observations. Psychologists are skeptical scientists. They develop testable hypotheses to explain human behaviors and cognitition. Their researches have to be verified by independent observers and should be replicable. Therefore, psychology is a branch of sicence.

Having said that, unlike most sciences, psychology is less likely to be a laboratory science due to societal needs. It is a humanistic, social science. To study human behavior, psychologists perform experiments in daily life, in environments such as schools, hospitals or clinics. Though psychology was once a branch of philosophy, as time goes by, psychology has become more and more scientific as statistics and experiments have become crucial in giving convincing psychological research findings. In addiontional to that, when we are discussing behavioral patterns of human beings, a whole individual should be composed of both mental activities and physical structures. Many psychological behaviors were found to be or might be closely related to physiology, showing that psychology is inseparable from certain pure sciences such as chemistry and human biology.