 Psychology is scientific.

- Systematic acquisition of knowledge

- Acquisition of knowledge is limited to observation. This is empirical data.
- Experiments are often used to test hypotheses-variables are manipulated and measured:
o Directional Hypotheses: Relationship of the variables and the effect of the
relationship is mentioned.
o Non-directional Hypotheses: Only the relationship is known and not the direction of
effect.

NOTE:

These are research/alternative hypotheses.

One can start off with a null hypothesis which means there is no relationship between
the variables. This null hypothesis can later be refuted and can accept a directional
hypothesis.

 Scientific Psychology
- Challenges existing beliefs, deepens our understanding of human behaviour, unlike pop-
psychology.
- Provides empirical data and evidence.
- Verifies the data, can be done through peer review (by someone who has no stake in the
investigation.

 Waves of psychology
- Wave one: Introspection (structuralism)
- Wave two: Gestalt (The whole of an experience can be more than sum of its parts.)
- Wave three: Psychoanalysis-Sigmund Freud: unconscious, free association, defence
mechanism
- Wave four: behaviouralism-concerned with observation of behaviour-disregarded
feeling/unconscious.
- Wave five: Eclectic-about variety