1. Psychology and the Scientific Method

2. The difference between scientific and "popular" Psychology is not a difference in the field of study [human behavior] but a difference between knowledge obtained through scientific methods, and a set of beliefs based upon uncontrolled experiences, guesses and superstitions. As a science, Psychology is a body of knowledge held together & made meaningful through principles & laws. Psychology is a science because it makes use of appropriate methods by analyzing behavior according to the rules and procedures of the scientific method which include: Psychology as a Science

3. raising a question and selecting a problem, putting forth hypotheses as a tentative answer to the problem, making a series of systematic observations in order to obtain the necessary facts and data, organizing and interpreting the data in order to solve the problem, answer the questions, and eventually bring up new problems. It makes use of these methods in an appropriate attitude. The scientific worker approaches the facts as they are, and not as he would like them to be according to his wishes and preconceptions. This means that he is trained to be impersonal and objective in his search for the truth.