Psychology of science
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The psychology of science is a branch of the studies of social science defined most simply as the study of scientific thought or behavior. It is a collection of studies of various topics. The thought of psychology has been around since the late 19th century. Research on the psychology of science began in 1874, the field has seen a substantial expansion of activity in recent years. The specific field of psychology as a science first gained popularity mostly in the 1960s, with
Abraham Maslow Abraham Harold Maslow (; April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who was best known for creating Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, cul ...
publishing an influential text on the subject (Maslow, 1966), but this popularity faded, only re-emerging in the 1980s (e.g., Simonton, 1988). Other studies of science include
philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...
,
history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...
, and sociology of science or
sociology of scientific knowledge The sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) is the study of science as a social activity, especially dealing with "the social conditions and effects of science, and with the social structures and processes of scientific activity." The sociolog ...
. The psychology of science applies methods and theory from psychology to the analysis of scientific thought and behavior, each of which is defined both narrowly and broadly. Narrowly defined, "science" refers to thought and behavior of scientists and technologists. More broadly defined, "science" refers to thought and behavior of anyone (past and present) of any age engaged in
problem finding Problem finding means problem discovery. It is part of the larger problem process that includes problem shaping and problem solving. Problem finding requires intellectual vision and insight into what is missing. Problem finding plays a major role ...
and
problem solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...
,
scientific theory A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that has been repeatedly tested and corroborated in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluatio ...
construction, learning scientific or mathematical concepts,
scientific modelling Scientific modelling is a scientific activity, the aim of which is to make a particular part or feature of the world easier to understand, define, quantify, visualize, or simulate by referencing it to existing and usually commonly accepted ...
, testing plausible rival hypotheses, or other
scientific reasoning Models of scientific inquiry have two functions: first, to provide a descriptive account of ''how'' scientific inquiry is carried out in practice, and second, to provide an explanatory account of ''why'' scientific inquiry succeeds as well as it ap ...
. The methods of psychology that are applied to the study of scientific thought and behavior include: psychohistorical, psychobiographical, observational, descriptive, correlational, and experimental techniques (e.g., Gholson et al., 1989; Giere, 1992; Kowlowski, 1996; Magnani et al., 1999; Carruthers et al., 2002; Feist, 2006; Proctor & Capaldi, 2012; Feist & Gorman, 2013). The psychology of science includes research in many subfields of
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
, such as but not limited to neuroscientific, developmental, educational, cognitive, personality, social, and clinical (Feist, 2011). A recent branch of psychology of science investigates attitudes towards science and science skepticism (e.g. Rutjens, Heine et al., 2018; Rutjens, Sutton et al., 2018). Gregory Feist's 2006 book ''The Psychology of Science and the Origins of the Scientific Mind'' (Feist, 2006), and the 2013 edited book ''Handbook of the Psychology of Science'' (Feist & Gorman, 2013) review and integrate many sub-disciplines of psychology.


See also

* *
Psychology of art The psychology of art is the scientific study of cognitive and emotional processes precipitated by the sensory perception of aesthetic artefacts, such as viewing a painting or touching a sculpture. It is an emerging multidisciplinary field of inq ...
*
Science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some ...
*
Outline of psychology The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to psychology: Psychology refers to the study of subconscious and conscious activities, such as emotions and thoughts. It is a field of study that bridges the scientific and ...

Psychology of Science Lab


Bibliography

* Campbell, D.T. (1988). ''Epistemology and methodology for social science''. Chicago: Chicago University Press. * Clement, J.J. (2008). ''Creative model construction in scientists and students: the role of imagery, analogy, and mental stimulation''. New York: Springer. , * Carruthers, P., Stich, S.P., & Siegal, M. (Eds.) (2002). ''The cognitive basis of science''. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press. , * Dunbar, K. (2002). Understanding the role of cognition in science: The Science as Category framework. In In P. Carruthers, S. Stich, & M. Siegal (Eds.). ''The cognitive basis of science'' (pp. 154–171). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. * Feist, G.J. (2006). ''The psychology of science and the origins of the scientific mind''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. * Feist, G.J. (2011). Psychology of science as a new subdiscipline in psychology. ''Current Directions in Psychological Science'', 20(5), 330–334. * Feist, G.J., & Gorman, M.E. (1998). Psychology of science: Review and integration of a nascent discipline. ''Review of General Psychology'', 2(1), 3–47. * Feist, G.J., & Gorman, M.E. (Eds.) (2013). ''Handbook of the psychology of science''. New York: Springer Pub. Co. * Fuller, S. (1993, 2nd edition). ''Philosophy of science and its discontents''. New York: Guilford Press. * Giere, R. (Ed.) (1992). ''Cognitive models of science''. Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota University Press. * Gholson, B., Shadish, W.R., Neimeyer, R.A., & Houts, A.C. (Eds.) (1989). ''Psychology of science: Contributions to metascience''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Gorman, M.E. (1992). ''Simulating science: Heuristics, mental models and technoscientific thinking''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. * Greene, J.A., Sandoval, W.A., & Bråten, I. (Eds.) (2016). ''Handbook of epistemic cognition''. New York: Routledge. , * Klahr, D. (2000). ''Exploring science: The cognition and development of discovery processes''. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. * Koslowski, B. (1996). ''Theory and evidence: The development of scientific reasoning''. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. * Kuhn, D. (1993). Science as argument: Implications for teaching and learning scientific thinking. ''Science Education'', 77(3), 319–337. * Kuhn, D., E. Amsel, & M. O'Loughlin. (1988). ''The development of scientific thinking skills''. Orlando FL: Academic Press. * Magnani, L., Nersessian, N.J., & Thagard, P. (Eds.) (1999). ''Model-based reasoning in scientific discovery''. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum. , * Maslow, A. ''The psychology of science: A reconnaissance'', New York:
Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
, 1966; Chapel Hill: Maurice Bassett, 2002. * Mitroff, I. (1974). ''The subjective side of science''. Amsterdam: Elsevier. * Osbeck, L.M., Nersessian, N.J., Malone, K.R., & Newstetter, W.C. (2011). ''Science as psychology: Sense-making and identity in science practice''. New York: Cambridge University Press. , * Proctor, R.W. & Capaldi, E.J. (Eds.) (2012). ''Psychology of science: Implicit and explicit processes''. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. , * Rutjens, B. T., Heine, S. J., Sutton, R. M., & van Harreveld, F. (2018). Attitudes towards science. ''Advances in Experimental Social Psychology'', 57, 125-165. * Rutjens, B. T., Sutton, R. M., & van der Lee, R. (2018). Not all skepticism is equal: Exploring the ideological antecedents of science acceptance and rejection. ''Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin'', 44(3), 384-405. * Shadish, W., & Fuller, S. (1994). ''The social psychology of science''. Guilford Press. * Simonton, D.K. (1988). ''Scientific genius: A psychology of science''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. * Simonton, D.K. (2004). ''Creativity in science: Chance, logic, genius, and Zeitgeist''. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. * Sulloway, F. J. (1996). ''Born to rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives''. New York: Pantheon. * Thagard, P. (1992). ''Conceptual revolutions''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. * Thagard, P. (2012). ''The cognitive science of science: Explanation, discovery, and conceptual change''. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. , * Tweney, R.D. (1989). A framework for the cognitive psychology of science. In B. Gholson Shadish Jr., W.R., Neimeyer, R.A., & Houts, A. C. (Eds.), ''Psychology of science: Contributions to metascience'' (pp. 342–366). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. * Zubrowski, B. (2009). ''Exploration and meaning making in the learning of science''. Dordrecht; New York: Springer. ,


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Psychology Of Science Branches of psychology Philosophy of science