Psychology as a Natural Science

It has been mentioned earlier that psychology has its roots in philosophy. However, modern psychology has developed because of the application of the scientific method to study psychological phenomenon.

Science places a great deal of emphasis on objectivity which can be obtained if there is consensus on the definition of a concept and how it can be measured.

Psychology influenced by Descartes and later on by the developments in physics has grown by following what is called a hypothetico-deductive model. The model suggests that scientific advancement can take place if you have a theory to explain a
phenomenon.

For example, physicists have what is called a Big-bang theory to explain how the universe came to be formed. Theory is nothing else but a set of statements about
how a certain complex phenomenon can be explained with the help of propositions which
are interrelated.

Based on a theory, scientists deduce or propose a hypothesis, that offers a
tentative explanation of how a certain phenomenon takes place. The hypothesis then
is tested and proved true or false based on empirical data that one has gathered. The
theory is revised if data gathered point in a different direction than the one suggested by the hypothesis.

Using the above approach psychologists have developed theories of learning, memory, attention, perception, motivation and emotion, etc. and have made significant progress.

Till date, most of the research in psychology follows this approach.

Apart from this, psychologists have also been considerably influenced by the evolutionary approach which is dominant in biological sciences. This approach has also been used to explain diverse kinds of psychological phenomenon such as attachment and aggression to mention just a few.