Which of the following is a true statement about psychology?

Question

a.
Psychology is considered a science and comes from a foundation of chemistry because of its focus on research.
b.
Psychology is a social science that is rooted in the natural sciences, like history and philosophy.
c.
Psychology is not considered a science, but is a form of sociology.
d.
None of the statements are true.

Answer 1

If you look at all these answer options, you will see they have something in common. The question is asking whether you understand the difference between social and natural science. Natural science includes subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics, genetics, physiology, botany, etc. Social science is what used to be referred to as the "soft" sciences, whereas natural science used to be referred to as "hard" science. Both social and natural science are founded on research. The research methods and design varies somewhat between the two types of science, but both are based on evidence gained through qualitative or quantitative analysis.

Answer 2

D. none of the above. 

Definitions of the discipline generally define it as a science due to the use of the scientific method to empirically test theories regarding human behavior.  Historically psychologists have come from medicine (e.g., Freud), philosophy (e.g., William James), or natural sciences (e.g., Wundt) but not to the extent suggested by the options A or B. 

Option C is just wrong - the focus of psychology is individual behavior whereas sociology is focused on groups -- much like biology and chemistry are related but separate due to the focus of the study. 

 

Answer 3

B - psychology is social and arose from philosophy. C is incorrect - psychology is a science and sociology is a subset of psychology, not the other way around. A is somewhat correct but it does not come from a foundation of chemistry, research methodologies are different and there is not an universally accepted overarching theory like chemistry. Wilhelm Wundt was inspired by chemistry when he began his research so there is some merit to this answer. However, A is "most correct"