Evaluating Scientific Methods in Occupational Psychology Education

This essay discusses the crucial role of scientific methods in psychological research, highlighting that psychologists prioritize empirical evidence and objective data collection over philosophical or political statements. It emphasizes the importance of replicability, falsifiability, and precision in psychological research, detailing how these principles are applied through various research methods such as case studies, experiments, surveys, and naturalistic observations. The essay further explores the consequences of using scientific methods in the training and education of occupational psychology, noting that while scientific rigor enhances the validity and reliability of findings, the subjective nature of human behavior presents unique challenges. It concludes by acknowledging the limitations of applying purely scientific approaches to psychology due to the unpredictable and multifaceted nature of human behavior, advocating for a balanced perspective that recognizes both the strengths and weaknesses of scientific methodology in understanding the human mind.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology
12/2/2018

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Psychologists Stress the Use of Scientific Methods
Psychologists are not the individuals who try to understand the behavior of human and
resolve social issues. Politicians, Philosophers, and religious leaders also try to understand
human behavior. However, psychologists consider research as the appropriate instrument for
understanding human and their relations with each other. In place of accepting the statement
of a theorist that people do (or do not) have an open will, psychologists would gather facts to
test whether or not individuals are capable to vigorously manage their own behavior. In place
of accepting a statement of politician or legislator that forming a new mental health center
will enhance the lives of individual in the inner city, a psychologist will measure the
influences of getting the treatment of mental health on the receiver’s life quality (BC
Campus, 2018). The psychologist’s reports are experiential, which reflects that they are
dependent on the organized gathering and examination of data. This study is based on
analyzing the importance given by the psychologists on the use of the scientific method.
Besides this, it will identify the consequences of using scientific methods in the training and
education of occupational psychology.
Every scientist (whether he/she is a chemist, sociologist, psychologist, physicist, or biologist)
is involved in the fundamental procedure of gathering information and making conclusions
related to the information. The methods utilized by the experts have introduced over many
years and offer a general outline for emerging, establishing, and sharing info. This scientific
method is the set of expectations, instructions, and processes used by scientists to practice
research (Kosso, 2011).
In addition to demanding that science be experiential, the scientific method stresses that the
processes utilized must be impartial, or free from the personal prejudice or sentiments of the

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expert. The scientific method proscribes how experts gather and evaluate information, how
they make conclusions from the gathered information, and how they collect information with
others. These instructions upsurge objectivity by employing information under the
examination of other experts or scientist and public at large. Because data or information is
stated accurately, other experts know precisely how the expert gathered and analyzed the
data. This reflects that there is no need to depend on the own explanation of the scientist; they
can make their own, probably diverse conclusions (BC Campus, 2018).
Many of the new research are intended to imitate, add, or modify preceding findings of the
research. The scientific method consequently results in a gathering of scientific familiarity
through the research reporting and the addition to and alterations of these described findings
by new scientists.
Psychological research, like research in different fields, should fulfill some criteria to be
called as scientific. It is very important for a Research to be replicable, falsifiable, and precise
(BC Campus, 2018).
Replicable – Research becomes replicable at the time when other experts can recap it and get
similar conclusions. When psychologists represent what are their findings in the research they
also explain thoroughly how they performed their discoveries (Ahmed, 2010). This helps
other psychologists to repeat the same research to know whether they can imitate the findings
or not. After psychologists perform their research and ensure it is replicable, they create a
theory and interpret the theory into a comprehensive hypothesis. A hypothesis is a testable
prediction of what can happen in a definite set of situations. Psychologists test a hypothesis
by utilizing particular methods of research, like a Case Study, an Experiment, a Survey, and a
Naturalistic Observation. If the test does not approve the hypothesis, the experts reread or
reject the operative theory.

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Falsifiable – A good or noble theory or hypothesis should be Falsifiable, means it should be
explained in a proper way that makes it conceivable to reject it. Similarly, a hypothesis or
theory has to be proved wrong. Hypothesis and theories have to be falsifiable because all
investigators can succumb to the Confirmation Bias. Investigators who show Confirmation
Bias search for an accept indication that ropes what they want to trust and disregard or reject
indication that disproves their theories (Popper, 2011).
A good or noble theory should perform two things i.e. shape numerous observations in a
reasonable way and permit investigators to carry predictions in order to check the theory.
Precise – By declaring hypotheses exactly, psychologists confirm that they can imitate their
own and others’ research. In order to make the hypotheses more detailed, psychologists make
use of operational definitions to describe the variables they read. Operational Definitions
explain precisely how a variable will be evaluated (Flom, 2018).
The Scientific Method
Source [(Spark Psychology, 2018)]
The scientific method is a procedure for an investigation that is utilized to discover
observations and response questions. Psychologists make use of scientific methods in order to
conduct their investigation (Gimbel, 2011). It is a standardized manner of making

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observations, collecting information, making theories, testing forecasts, and understanding
results. Researchers observe to clarify and measure behavior. After perceiving definite events
recurrently, investigators bring different theories that elucidate these observations. A theory
is said to be an explanation that manages distinct information pieces in a clear way.
Investigators normally create a theory after they have gathered a lot of proof and ensure
others can reproduce the results of their research (Nola & Sankey, 2014). Some of the steps
involved in performing scientific research:
Ask a question: The scientific methods begin when a researcher examines a question related
to something that he/she is observing: What, Where, How, Who, Why, When, or which? For
a science rational project, certain experts need that the questions be something that can be
measured, mostly with a number (Cameron, Craig & Soutee, 2010).
Do background research: In place of initiating from scratch in placing together a strategy for
responding the question, the expert must become a well-informed scientist by utilizing
internet research and library to support in finding the best possible way to perform things and
assure that mistakes should not be repeated from the past.
Create a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is a refined predict about how things operate. It is said to
be an attempt to react to the questions with a detailed description that can be verified.
Testing the Hypothesis by performing an Experiment: The experiment tests whether the
prediction of the expert is precise and thus the hypothesis is reinforced or not. It is significant
for the experiment to be a rational test. A rational test is conducted by ensuring that only one
factor is changed at a time while keeping other situations or conditions the same. The expert
must replicate its experiment numerous times in order to assure that the first outcome was not
an accident (Blystone & Blodgett, 2006).

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Analyzing the data and making a conclusion: Once the experiment is finished, expert need
to gather the measurements and evaluate them to observe whether they support the hypothesis
or not. Scientists mostly find that their anticipations were not precise and their hypothesis
was not reinforced, and in such situations, they communicate the experiment outcomes, then
go back, and create a fresh hypothesis and forecast depending on the information learned at
the time of the experiment (Luis, 2012). This again starts most of the procedure of the
scientific method.
Communicating the results - In order to complete the science fair project, the expert needs
to communicate the experiment results to others on the display board or in the concluding
report. Proficient scientists do almost precisely the similar thing by issuing their concluding
report in a scientific journal or by representing their outcomes at a scientific meeting or on a
poster. In a science fair, juries are interested in the expert findings irrespective of whether or
not they support the unusual hypothesis (Feibleman, 2012).
Consequences of Using Scientific Method in Training and Education of Occupational
Psychology
Psychology is said to be a science of behavior and mind, comprising conscious and
unconscious portents, along with thoughts and feeling. It is one of the academic disciplines of
vast space and varied interest that, when considered together, pursue an understanding of
developing properties of brains, and all the range of epiphenomena they manifest (Colman,
2016). Being a social science it is focused towards understanding groups and individuals by
introducing common principles and investigating precise cases. Occupational psychology is
the part of psychological science in the workplace. Occupational psychologists make use of
psychological approaches and theories to provide tangible assistance by refining the
competence of organizations and evolving the presentation, enthusiasm, and comfort of

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people at the place of work (Zibarras & Lewis, 2013). Use of scientific methods in
occupational psychology helps researchers in studying diverse phases of how people in the
organization thing, learn and behave. It is very important in an organization to understand
human behavior in order to provide responsibilities, and training to manage the work. The
scientific method is comprised of creating a hypothesis in order to predict how things operate.
It is said to be an attempt to react to the questions with a detailed description that can be
verified. Scientists are involved in understanding and explaining how people learn in an
organization with the help of different strategies that are tested with the help of generating the
hypothesis that is falsifiable and testable. Theories and strategies of training that stand up in
the test are engaged and refined, while those that do not stand up modified or discarded. In
this manner, research allows experts to the distinct fact from simple opinion. With the worthy
information from research, assist in making wise decisions at all the management levels in
the organization. However, on the other side, it is very difficult to take decisions through
research and hypothesis test within the organization because the mind of the employee is not
observable, which is very important for a scientist while researching something.
Training is one of the essential aspects of the success and development of the organization. It
is productive for the personnel as well as the employers in the company. While providing
training it is very important to consider what methods and approaches are being used to
enhance the knowledge of the employees. Therefore, scientists apply different experiments to
analyze the effectiveness of the strategies and theories used for training. The hypothesis test
is used in scientific methods to know whether a theory or strategy will properly train the
employees in the organization. Moreover, scientific methods are based on proof and
verification that helps in understanding the behavior of the employees towards particular
training season provided within an organization. The scientific method is operative because it
is dependent on fact. It is dependent on the empirical evidence and is consistent at finding the

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truth (Mallick, 2018). However, science cannot be free from fault and nothing has complete
information about the world. For these cases, not all the things that science performs are the
full truth.
Psychology, unlike science is subjective. This reflects that outcomes of the experiments could
be skewed because of spectator bias. In conclusion, science is not suitable for psychology.
Human Behaviour and Human beings are unpredictable and infinite, unlike quantifiable
scientific components like atoms and time. However, it is required for psychology to be
known as a science due to the trust of people. Then, if psychology is really a science, it
means the actions of a human being because of a just single cause, which is unsuitable
because humans beings possess diverse environmental and biological upbringings, which
means there are numerous diverse justifications for behavior, therefore diverse psychological
approaches.

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