Outline and critically evaluate the methods psychologists use to investigate human behaviour

... 1PSY112 FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY Agnieszka Bielawska-Lovell Outline and critically evaluate the methods psychologists use to investigate human behaviour To answer this question the understanding of the main methods which psychologist use must be clear, and the strengths and weaknesses of such methodology must be identified with examples. Psychology means the study of the mind, with psycho meaning mind and logy meaning science (from Carlson and Buskist, 1997). Psychology is a subject devoted to the understanding of human thoughts, feelings and actions. In fact psychology is really a scientific study of behaviour. Psychology is a science, just like physics and chemistry; psychology goes about finding the answer to a question by observed means. It does this by creating falsifiable and testable hypotheses and then tests them usually by some form of collection of data of observable behaviours. All the information which psychologists gain is derived from carefully planned and designed study. This can involves

want to read more? →