01 science, pseudoscience and anomalistic psychology

Pseudo-ScienceIs Parapsychology a pseudo-science?

• With a partner come up with your definition for what makes a subject a science. Consider the following subjects and categorise them with reason

• Physics Maths• Chemistry Theology• Sociology Economics• Philosophy Biology

Sciences

Social Science Natural Science

Is the subject under investigation a ‘construct’ of humans, or something independent of human activity?

What differences arise from this distinction?

Philosophies

Rationalism Empiricism

What can we trust when acquiring knowledge about the world?

Rationalists argue for our powers of reason and deduction, empiricists for our senses.

What goes into a science?

Falsifiable

Experimental

Method

Object

ive

Consistent Paradigm

Replicable

Science?

Pseudo-science definition - Hines• Can’t falsify the hypothesis• Lacks controlled replicable research• Theories are strongly held beliefs that

often ignore evidence• Burden of proof is put on the sceptics

Which of these do you think Parapsychology might suffer from?

How can we stop ‘pseudo-science’?• Peer review

Look at Mousseau ’03 and predict findings

Why might the mainstream journals have not had studies which falsified ideas?

Criteria Parapsychology Journals

Mainstream Journals

Empirical data 43% 54%Used experimental method

24% 57%Falsified an idea 19% 0%Cited their own previous work

12% 0%

So before we go on...

• In what ways do you think that parapsychology will struggle to be a science?

• Read p.506 – 511 and answer summary questions 1 – 7.

Replicability

• ReplicabilityCan you think of an AS study which is

replicable?Can you think of an AS study which is not?What makes a study hard to replicate?

• Therefore the keys to replication are:Control of variablesConsistent Method

Now you...

• With a partner consider the following studies and come up with 3 factors which reduce their ability to replicateZimbardo’s experiment Freud’s case study of Little Hans

• Why is behavioural Psychology usually more replicable than Psychodynamic Psychology?

Replicability in Anomalistic• What is replicable?

Studies on ESP (Ganzfeld Technique) – controlled experiments.

• What is not replicable?Psychics claim that the presence of a

sceptical scientist, and related ‘negative energy’, disrupts their ability to communicate with spirits.

Falsifiability

• Popper – Hypothetico-deductive method (must be possible to prove the theory is false)

• What would falsify the claim that our Short Term Memory stores an average of 7 items?

• Why can’t we falsify ‘all ravens are black?’• What problems do we have with evolutionary

psychology and falsification?• What problems do we have with Near Death

Experiences and UFO’s and falsification?

How does this relate to Anomalistic?• Some areas are not falsifiable

UFO’sNear Death Experiences

• Some areas are falsifiableGanzfeld Technique

Objectivity

• What makes it hard for Psychology to be objective? 1. Directional (Poppers’ lecture of example where

people were told to observe…observe what?)2. Humans studying humans3. Measuring something very vague (e.g. how

much someone loves their mother)Can anyone think of a study that illustrates our lack of objectivity as psychologists?

How does this relate to Anomalsitic?• Fraud• Sheep Goat Effect

Fraud • http://www.badpsychics.co.uk/thefraudfiles/mo

dules/news/article.php?storyid=181

(Sylvia Brown and the miners)

• Read through your books and answer the questions on Walter Levy and James Randi

Sheep/Goat Effect

• Consistent finding that sheep experimenters get more positive results than goats

• Wiseman and Schiltz – Wiseman (goat) and Shiltz (Sheep) carried out an experiment together where they observed Ganzfeld subjects through a CCTV camera. Results showed that when Schiltz was watching not only did subjects do better but their Galvanic Skin Response went up... !!

• However this has not been replicated.

How we try to insure objectivity• Peer Review

Sent to a qualified adjudicator (editor)She sends it to fellow specialists to see if its

publishable and whether any further work needs to be done

• Problems with Peer reviewLess likely to publish ‘failed studies’ (Tom’s

point)Can be elitist and biased

Empiricism and the Experimental Method• Should be able to observe and test

phenomena

Experimental Method

• Can we use a scientific method to study the mind?

• What areas can we use it and what areas is it more tricky and why?

• Why do we have a problem with controls?• How can we overcome this problem?

How does this apply?

• Which of the following areas of anomalistic psychology do you think can be studied empirically?

• Mind Reading• Near Death Experiences• Psychic Healing• Mediumship

Problems with paradigms...

Use of a paradigm

• Kuhn suggests that there are 3 stages in the development of science

• What stage do you think psychology is at?

Pre-science Normal Science

Revolutionary Science

No generally accepted paradigm

All scientists are working

from the same paradigm (e.g.

Newton)

A new model is introduced which

causes a paradynamic shift (e.g. Earth moves around the sun)

Kuhn’s Paradigms

Why does Kuhn think we are prescience?

Because we can’t agree! (variety of psychological approaches)

Some people think we shouldn’t want to be a science• Humanists – we should use a phenomenological

approach (i.e. Self reporting)• Social Constructionists – human behaviour and

certain phenomena aren’t durable and so we should use qualitative research methods such as discourse analysis (e.g. Used to be fine for me to beat you, now- not so much)

• Do we agree? Would it be more valid to accept that we can’t be scientific and thus not try?

• Feminists have problems with historical psychological research, why?

Summary Falsifiable

Experimental

Method

Objecti

ve

Consistent Paradigm

Replicable

Science?