This document contains references and information from multiple psychology studies and sources. It discusses the scientific principles of psychology, including empirical falsifiability, parsimony of theory, experimental control, and measurement accuracy. It also addresses debates around whether psychology can be considered a true science and examines issues like the placebo problem, expertise problem, and experience problem in psychotherapy research.

1. Brian
Hughes
School of Psychology,
National University of
Ireland, Galway

4. Smith, T. W., Limon, J. P., Gallo, L. C., & Ngu, L. Q. (1996).
J Personality Social Psychol, 70, 1012-1024.

5. • “Helping is intrinsically good”
• “Psychotherapy works because it’s psychotherapy”
• “Positivity is great”
• “Women are great”
• “Qualitative approaches to psychology are
(a) positive, (b) womanly , and (c) therefore great”

8. http://ed.fnal.gov/projects/s
cientists/index.html

11. Leydesdorff & Rafols (2009). Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60, 348-362.

12. http://users.fmg.uva.nl/lleydesdorff/map06/index.htm

13. • Some philosophical assumptions
– Determinism
– Empiricism
– Skepticism
• Some methodological principles
– Observation
– Measurement
– Experimentation
• Some reasoning principles
– Parsimony
– Falsification
– Objectivity

21. • Some philosophical assumptions
– Determinism
– Empiricism
– Skepticism
• Some methodological principles
– Observation
– Measurement
– Experimentation
• Some reasoning principles
– Parsimony
– Falsification
– Objectivity

22. HOT! NOT!
Physics Chemistry Psychology
Empirical
Yes Yes Yes
falsifiability
Parsimony of
Yes Yes Most of the time
theory
Experimental
Yes Yes To an extent
control
Measurement
Yes Yes Kind of
accuracy
Facilitates
Yes Yes A bit
prediction

23. HOT! NOT!
Psychology Meteorology Astrophysics
Empirical
Yes Yes Kind of
falsifiability
Parsimony of
Most of the time Not really Yes
theory
Experimental
To an extent No No
control
Measurement
Kind of Kind of Within limits
accuracy
Facilitates
A bit A bit Who knows?
prediction

24. HOT! NOT!
Psychology Palaeontology Botany
Empirical
Yes No No
falsifiability
Parsimony of
Most of the time Hard to say Not a priority
theory
Experimental
To an extent No No
control
Measurement Patchy track
Kind of Within limits
accuracy record
Facilitates
A bit Not a priority Not a priority
prediction

25. HOT! NOT!
Psychology UFOlogy Astrology
Empirical
Yes Absolutely none Absolutely none
falsifiability
Parsimony of The antithesis of
Most of the time Not at all
theory parsimony
Experimental
To an extent Err, nope No attempt
control
Measurement Track record of
Kind of Not a priority
accuracy utter failure
Facilitates
A bit Not a priority Afraid not!
prediction

26. Question:
Is psychology a science?
Short Answer:

30. Smith, T. W., Limon, J. P., Gallo, L. C., & Ngu, L. Q. (1996).
J Personality Social Psychol, 70, 1012-1024.

31. Hughes, B. M., & Callinan, S. (2007). Psychology &
Health, 22, 457-472.

32. http://goo.gl/EVUs7

35. • “Do to others as you would
have them do to you”
• “Do not do to others what you
do not want done to yourself”
• “Do not do unto others
whatever is injurious to
yourself”
• “What is hateful to you, do
not do to your neighbor”
• “Not one of you truly believes
until you wish for others what
you wish for yourself”

37. “Usual” Blood Pressure
100 university staff; 67 women, 33
men; aged 26 to 63 (mean 37.9)
Regression Analysis
β p
Model 1 (19.3%)
Gender +.27 .009
Age +.18 .063
BMI +.15 .147
Model 2 (+ 4.7%)
Social support –.22 .018
[Depression] –.03 .778
[Perceived stress] –.02 .825
p < .001 for both models
Hughes, B. M. & Howard, S. (2009). Social support reduces resting cardiovascular
function in women. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 22, 537-548.

38. O'Donovan, A., & Hughes, B. M. (2008). Access to social support in life and in the laboratory: Combined impact on
cardiovascular reactivity to stress and state anxiety. Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 1147-1156.

40. • What type of social support (e.g., group
work, peer mentoring, etc.) would
provide effective couples counselling?
• Practice
– Exposure to couples with cohesive
relationships
• Evidence
– Exposure to couples with discordant
relationships leads to greater happiness,
confidence, and benefit-finding
Buunk, B. P., & Hoorens, V. (1992). Social support and stress: The role of social comparison and
social exchange processes. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 31, 445-457.

43. • ‘Placebo’ problem
– Most studies have inadequate
control conditions
• ‘Expertise’ problem
– No difference between trained
vs. untrained therapists
• ‘Experience’ problem
– No difference between experts
vs. novices
• ‘Generic effectiveness’ problem
– ‘Dodo bird’ conjecture

45. Wampold et al. (1997)

46. p of hypothesis that effect deviates from zero
(i.e., probability that both therapies are the
same)
Wampold et al. (1997)

47. “Small” effect size
(d of .21 equivalent to r = .1, or 1% of variance)
Wampold et al. (1997)

49. Wampold, B. E., Imel, Z. E., and Miller, S. D. (2009). Barriers to the dissemination of empirically supported
treatments: Matching evidence to messages. The Behavior Therapist, 32, 144-155

56. http://goo.gl/wWJNC

60. “Peer-reviewed journals, positivist epistemology, and
quantitative methods work… to reduce women’s
participation in psychology.” (p. 96)
“*In addressing discrimination against women+ the
new Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section should
also provide an important forum…” (p. 96)
The Psychologist
(2006)
On behalf of the British
Psychological Society’s
Standing Committee for
the Promotion of Equal
Opportunities

61. HTTP://XKCD.COM/385/

62. Validity
Construct validity
External validity
Internal validity
Reliability
Inter-rater reliability
Test-retest reliability

63. Group vs. Individual Differences

64. Group vs. Individual Differences

65. Group vs. Individual Differences

66. Tendency to
notice sex
differences and
to under-
emphasize ‘sex
similarities’
File-drawer
problem

67. Psychology, done Psychologists, and
scientifically, can the societies they
teach us much about work in, will have
the world… social value-systems
And value-systems …but in doing so
influence the way requires prioritisation
we form subjective of objectivity over
judgements values!
brian.hughes@nuigalway.ie
http://thesciencebit.net

68. Psychology, done Psychologists, and
scientifically, can the societies they
teach us much about work in, will have
the world… social value-systems
And value-systems …but in doing so
influence the way requires prioritisation
we form subjective of objectivity over
judgements values!
brian.hughes@nuigalway.ie
http://thesciencebit.net