Is psychology a science? Unlike Darwinian theory in biology or relativity and quantum theory in physics, psychology lacks the basic quantitative or conceptual foundation for a consensus view about how the mind works. Is psychology on the verge of developing such a foundation? 'Probably not', answers psychologist William R. Uttal in this iconoclastic and critical examination of psychology's underlying principles, assumptions, and concepts. In five in-depth chapters and one appendix, he explores the following key issues: what do we mean by 'science' and can psychology be legitimately described as a science; what are the general principles that should be applied to any science; what is the role of mathematics in psychology; given the current fragmented state of the discipline, is it possible to identify the general principles of a scientific psychology; and, is experimental psychology just applied epistemology and not really scientific. Uttal comes to the conclusion that psychology is a science only to the extent that it is behaviourist in orientation. By comparing his discipline to other sciences, he identifies its limits, establishes a set of principles that help to define psychology as a science, and suggests plausible future developments.
William R. Uttal (Phoenix, AZ) is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Michigan and professor emeritus of engineering at Arizona State University. He is the author of twenty-five books and more than a hundred scholarly articles.
Lexicographica Scientifica: What Is a Science That It Might Be Called Psychology?; Principia Scientifica: A Search for General Scientific Principles; Methematica Psychologica: What is the Role of Mathematics in Scientific Psychology?; Principia Psychologica: A Search for the Fundamental Principles of Psychology; Credo Psychologica: One Psychologists View of His Science; Appendix - Epistemologica Psychologica: The Confluence of Psychology and Epistemology.
"When a person of [Uttal's] standing and orientation takes on the question of the scientific status of psychology, it's worth taking a look. If you do, you won't be disappointed. Uttal's writing is clear, relatively free of jargon and he has the confidence not to fudge his points of view or his conclusions." -- Metapsychology, Vol. 12, Issue 31, July 29, 2008.
