Why Do Psychologist Do Experiments?

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Why Do Psychologist Do Experiments?

Why do psychologists do experiments?
Psychology is very hard to define due to it's very nature and the wide range of topics that it covers. No two books will give exactly the same definition of 'psychology' or what subject matter it covers. However most definitions would suggest psychology to be the 'scientific study of behaviour and mental processes.' An astonishing variety of topics is covered under this definition for example topics can range from 'obesity' to 'living with a divided brain', from 'expression of aggression' to 'childhood amnesia'.
No one today can afford not to know psychology as it touches every aspect of life. For example: How does the way your parents raised you affect the way you raise your kids? What effect does stress have on your immune system? How effective is psychotherapy when treating depression? How should instruments in a nuclear power station be designed to minimise human error? Can men care for infants as ably as women?
Psychologists work on these and many more questions which need to be answered as through psychological theories and research we can learn to better understand ourselves, what motivates us and how to handle situations in a better way although each situation and the individuals involved in it are unique, some things could be applied to real life. For example parents may learn that reward is better than punishment when handling their kids.
Also such theories and research have and will continue to influence laws concerning a number of areas such as capital punishment, pornography, sexual behaviour (for example sexual deviancy) However as most questions like the ones mentioned above relate to the 'psyche' (a totality of inner experience lacking in spatial dimensions) the problem is: How do external observers investigate someone else's psyche systematically if they cannot understand it with their senses? Behaviourism, a movement in psychology, maintains 'we cannot study the psyche at all because its immateriality renders it inaccessible to measurement.' This is where experimentation comes in.
An experiment is a 'method of investigation in which the researcher manipulates the situation in order to bring about a change in the research participant's behaviour.'
Behaviourists, use cause-effect methodology to measure the directly observable: the environment and behaviour as this is essentially the only way one can get an insight in to the answer of any of the above questions. Ho...

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