INTRODUCING METHODSAt the start of the 20th century, Psychology became more rigorous and scientific. Several leading thinkers realised that, if Psychology was ever to achieve respect as a discipline, it needed to imitate the rigour of the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics). Some psychologists, like the Behaviourists (Thorndike, Watson, Skinner), demanded that Psychology should be very scientific indeed. A century later, not all psychologists agree on just how far we should go in imitating the natural sciences, but all of them agree that the key to good psychological research is rigorous methodology - going about things in a clear, unbiased and replicable way.
The most powerful method available to psychologists - and the most scientific - is the Lab Experiment. However, there's a lot of debate about how appropriate lab experiments are for studying humans. Other types of experiment, such a Natural and Field Experiments, are less robustly scientific but better suited to studying human experience. Other strongly scientific methods include the Self Report and the Observation. However, these can also be carried out in a less structured way, sacrificing some scientific rigour but gaining more depth and detail. The Edexcel Specification expects you to be able to (AO1) know and understand, (AO2) apply, (AO3) analyse and evaluate the following:
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