Psychology ?

[boxhead]

psychology is not a science but art.

[YT2095]

substanciate your assertion please.

[boxhead]

substanciate your assertion please.

 

letz begin the discussion. will do it later and will try to elobrate my ideas but want to give it a right direction.

[YT2095]

then your new poll is lacking the "Combination of the Two" option.

 

and wasn`t present at all when I made post #2 (for the record).

[Supaiku]

Ya, I 'd deffinatly say a combination of the two...

[MulderMan]

well it is a social science and they can be considered the weaker areas, then again you could say a few areas of science are arts.

[Hellbender]

can I get a "I disagree" answer option please?

[boxhead]

i dont agree option was there who modified the poll i dont know there were only two options 1) i agree and 2) i disagree.

 

violation of fundamental rights.

 

sayonara can delete my post but to modify it is like forcing me to think in a certain way administrators are thinking.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Well then you should send him a PM.

 

If an administrator thinks your post needs to be changed, for any reason, they have the right to. It's part of being an administrator.

 

But this is offtopic.

 

 

Can you tell us why you think psychology is an art? The study of the human mind has to be a science in my opinion. Being a psychiatrist, though, is different, as you have to deal with humans, and that takes a certain skill.

[badchad]

I tend to agree with Capn, although I guess it depends on your definition of psychology.

 

I know professors in the Department of Psychology here at my school who use animal models in their studies. For instance, I'll be with a professor who specializes in microdialysis. She uses the technique to obtain quantitative data in carefully controlled experiments just as an investigator would in any area of "science".

 

On the other hand, there are probably psychologists who work through surveys and the use of subjective opinions to gather information. Some may tend to call this an "Art" but again, these experiments are more than likely carefully planned and subject to the rigors of the scientific method. All in all, I'd go for "Science" rather than "Art".

[Sayonara]

violation of fundamental rights.

Which rights are those?

 

sayonara can delete my post but to modify it is like forcing me to think in a certain way administrators are thinking.

You betcha.

[FCA/DP]

well it is a social science and they can be considered the weaker areas, then again you could say a few areas of science are arts.

Personally i don't think of any areas of science as being arts.

[Glider]

Psychology is a very large discipline. It involves areas from the entire 'hardness continuum'. At one end you have the hard stuff; direct nerve conduction studies, PET, SPET, computer controlled preattentive presentation, direct GSR, EEG, fMRI, output measure stuff, drug studies, in vitro NT action studies and so-on (e.g. psychoneuroimmunology, psychophysiology, neuropsychology etc.), and at the other end you have the "...and how do you feel about that" pink and fluffy stuff.

 

To ask whether Psychology is a science or art, you need to understand its full scope, and then specify which particular area you're talking about.

[Ophiolite]

So if you were talking about the whole range you would say 'a bit of both'?

 

[Also worth remembering that one of the world's greatest scientists was also one of its great artists: Leonardo.]

 

Sayonara please re-introduce the 'I disagree' option so I can vote.

[Sayonara]

I have not really removed the "I disagree" option; I have split it into three categories.

[Ophiolite]

psychology is an art not a science

If my view is it is a science, which of the options matches?

 

I agree. No.

Neither No.

A bit of both No.

I don't know No.

 

So, my view cannot be voted on.

 

So, you have removed the "I disagree" option. I hope you agree.

[Phi for All]

"I disagree" added, "I don't know" removed (no votes removed). If you would like to vote I don't know, PM a staff member, or move on to something you do know about.

[Glider]

So if you were talking about the whole range you would say 'a bit of both'?

If you were including the entire range of sub-disciplines, I would say yes, it's a bit of both. I hesitate to just say yes without that clarification because it's misleading to those who think Psychology is a single, narrow area.

 

Certainly the more qualitative areas of research have to be considered an art. For example, data collection there is usually by interview, and the skills and personality (and even apperance) of the interviewer will strongly influence the data you get. So, no two interviewers could hope to get exactly the same data from the same respondent. Interviewing is pretty much an art I'd say.

 

At the other end of the range, if you are looking at the effects of (e.g.) the neurological response to subliminal exposure to valenced stimuli using EEG or fMRI, then any researcher with a good working knowledge of the kit can obtain the same measures from the same person.

 

At this end of Psychology, there is grater scope for control, which means 'true experiments' (i.e. experiments designed to test for causal relationships between the independent and dependent variables) can be conducted. At the softer end, there is no such scope for control, so experiments are pretty much out of the question.

[YT2095]

the use of the word "Art" I don`t consider derogatory (I`m not sure of the OPs intent though, and can`t comment).

 

to an "Art" is almost synonymous with the word "Skill" where creativity plays a part.

no 2 clients are ever the same, and so, with all the training in the world, there WILL come a time where there is no precedent for YOU (the psychologist) and so you`ll pull upon your creative side using techniques scientificaly based and established to "wing it".

 

I`m sure these instances become less frequent as more case studies present themselves and are learned about and shared.

 

lol, take martial ARTS for example, be in now doubt that someone proficient in it couldn`t kick your ass rather than make a sculpture or paint you in water colors

[Vladimir]

Your definitions of art limited. Psycology has a certain elegance and unpredictablity to it. All sciences could be considered artists. After all, if a blank room painted white can be sold for millions, who are we too judge?

[boxhead]

Well then you should send him a PM.

 

If an administrator thinks your post needs to be changed' date=' for any reason, they have the right to. It's part of being an administrator.

 

But this is offtopic.

 

 

Can you tell us why you think psychology is an art? The study of the human mind has to be a science in my opinion. Being a psychiatrist, though, is different, as you have to deal with humans, and that takes a certain skill.[/quote']

 

what do you think about the game of chess ? It is an art or science ? i personally think about it as an art more than a science. now same way it is defined. but study of psychology is a SCIENCE. PSYCHOLOGY is not a science, it is more like an art.

[Sayonara]

What has your opinion of chess got to do with showing whether psychology is an art or a science?

[reverse]

My vote is for Art.

 

Anything to do with human behaviour usually has way too many ( presently) non quantifiable variables to calculate with any degree of certainty.

 

But what is art?

 

Any expression of the human soul,

 

But what is a soul?

 

Sorry, rolled over into the next SFN category

 

The first answer then.

[mcoy]

consider chess as a science...psychology is also science... but many people seeit as art. maybe because some aspects of it is more inclined to be of art, which are the skill, creativity and other things that was previously mentioned. We can also say that the more experience/wisdom the psychologist acquires, the better he gets...same in chess...

[YT2095]

chess can be either at times (a bit like Pshchology), Deep Blue beat Kasparov using an algorythm alone, however there are more subtle nuances whereby a player can beat another of greater "Technical" skill (a bit like playing Poker).

 

unpredictability plays a part, it can throw your opponents psyche off "what the hell is doing!? does he know something I don`t?" scenario.

 

it`s difficult to "un-Nerve" a computer

 

even holding a hot cup of coffee above the CPU doesn`t deter them much either LOL