Discuss the disadvantages of the use of the scientific method in Psychology.

(15m) Structure Intro: Either dont bother with one or very briefly define the scientific method, i.e. The sci method involves manipulating variables under controlled conditions using observations. It can then make predictions, test these predictions and establish theories. Main: Need 3 disadvantages minimum, ideally 4. Use P, E, C, A where: P is the disadvantage E is a research example to illustrate your point C is the consequence of the disadvantage A is the add on - an additional evaluative comment that will get the students a grade A Students can choose from the following 5 disadvantages. They can choose their own example from research to use, or use the ones below. For alternative examples of research see disadvantages of the scientific method notes. 1) P: One disadvantage of the sci method is that it is can suffer from investigator effects as the researcher has face to face contact with the participant. E: For example, in Milgrams obedience study, his manner when he greeted the participants may have affected how likely they were to obey. If for example he smiled and was very reassuring, they may have felt that he was so nice he wouldnt have allowed them to kill anyone, therefore they may have been happier to go up to the full 450vs than if he had behaved differently. C: Therefore, the data obtained from scientific methods may not be a true representation of participants behaviour due to demand characteristics. Add on: In contrast, less sci methods such as postal questionnaires do not involve the researcher meeting the participants at all, and therefore are much less likely to be affected by investigator effects.

2) P: Furthermore, sci methods tend to lack ecological validity due to the artificial settings and manipulation of variables. E: For example, in Loftus & Palmers laboratory study on the effect of leading questions, participants had to estimate the speed cars were travelling and estimates were affected by the changing of a verb. However, in Yuille and Cutshalls natural experiment testing leading questions on witnesses of a gun shooting in the USA, they found participants were not influenced by leading questions at all. C: Consequently, the sci method often produces findings which may not occur outside of such controlled conditions, meaning results will not represent the realistic behaviour of participants. Add on: On the contrary, in less sci methods such as naturalistic observations, these same issues do not occur as the behaviour being observed is in a completely natural environment and not manipulated by the researcher in any way so findings should be highly representative of natural behaviour. 3) P: Moreover, another disadvantage of sci methods is that they can be affected by experimenter expectancy, due to the fact that researchers are put under pressure to prove their theories true. E: For example, in Sheldons experiment on the relationship between body type and criminal behaviour, he used his own definition of delinquency. When it was later replicated with a legal definition of delinquency, it did not produce the same findings, suggesting Sheldon had manipulated his study to ensure he got the outcome he wanted. C: As a result the sci method can produce findings which are less likely to be valid because the researchers expectations can bias the results as they design the study. Add on: Nevertheless, less sci methods such as case studies do not suffer from these problems as much, as the researchers do not feel as much pressure to prove hypotheses and are more interested in obtaining a full picture of the individuals behaviour.

4) P: Yet again, another disadvantage of using the scientific method is that evaluation apprehension can occur as participants know they are taking part in a research study. E: For example, in Aschs study, a number of people conformed and gave the wrong answer, however, they may have done this due to the desire to please the researcher as they knew their answer was being judged and felt this is what they were meant to do, rather than because they didnt want to stand out from the group majority. C: Therefore scientific methods can obtain misleading results which do not reflect the participants true behaviour. Add on: Less scientific methods such as field experiments often do not suffer from this same problem, as participants often do not know they are being observed, therefore behaviour is more likely to be accurate.

5) P: Again, another issue with scientific methods is the tendency to ignore or rule out data which does not support the hypothesis. A scientist may have a strong belief that the hypothesis is true (or false), or feels internal or external pressure to get a specific result. In that case, there may be a psychological tendency to find "something wrong", with data which does not support the scientist's expectations, while data which does agree with those expectations may not be checked as carefully. E: For example, Bandura found that the majority of children who saw an aggressive model imitated the aggressive behaviour witnessed. However he conveniently ignored the small number of children who did not exhibit this behaviour and concluded that aggression is learnt through social learning theory, thereby ignoring the contradictory evidence found. C: Therefore, data gathered from scientific methods needs to be viewed with caution as conclusions may not be accurate representations of the findings obtained. Add on: Less scientific methods such as correlations do not seek to match data to hypotheses quite so specifically as they tend to be used to start investigations off, so are less likely to be subject to the same biases.