Is psychology a science? An essay on this question must first examine what science is. Science observes natural events, then uses those observations to develop laws and principles based on the outcomes that occur. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay People have been debating whether or not psychology should be classified as a science since its beginnings in the 1800s. In 1879 a man named Wilhelm Wundt created the world's first experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany . Wilhelm Wundt, who noted psychology as a science, was important because he separated psychology from philosophy by studying the workings of the mind in a more structured way, focusing more on objective measurement and control. This is known as the empirical method, which uses “verifiable” evidence by observing a subject in a controlled, replicable situation. Psychology today is classified as a science since it follows a scientific method just like biology or chemistry. After studying patterns of human behavior, the psychologist will develop a specific testable prediction/theory as to why that behavior occurs, or even run scenarios to see if it leads to a change in behavior. The psychologist will then use statistics from the study to collect data that will then be analyzed. Experiments are often repeated to ensure that the results are reliable. People who often argue that psychology is not a science do so because they believe that data can often be inconclusive or can be interpreted in various ways depending on the situation. . People might even argue that psychology is too abstract to test specifically. For example, how can a person define “happiness” as it can be interpreted differently depending on various factors in a person's life. For example, culture, circumstances, or even the weather outside can influence a person's mood or definition of happiness. This can also vary from day to day and is often considered unreliable as this means that a specific test cannot be reproduced. But even if it is not possible to directly measure abstract concepts such as "sadness", "happiness" or "anger", a psychologist continues to explain it and understands that there is no universal theory/conclusion on everyone's behavior and that it can vary from person to person. person. What they will do is create a test to validate a theory that serves as a good definition for something as abstract as a person's mind. Studies on this can vary, such as how often a person smiles or laughs, asking a person to rate their happiness on a scale of 1 to 10, or even monitoring the endorphins in their system. A psychologist will then ask why the data varies from person to person and attempt to match it to an event and/or circumstance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In short, Psychology uses an evidence-based approach to understanding human behavior. Test theories and predictions by observing behavioral events in a controlled and structured way to match them with given theories. This is why in my opinion it is classified as science. Works Cited Bunge, M. (2009). Is psychology a unified science? Cognitive Systems Research, 10(2), 162-176. Craver, C. F. (2007). Explaining the brain: mechanisms and units of the neuroscience mosaic. Oxford University Press. Fuchs, T., & Mahr, A. (2019). Psychology as a science: the.