What Makes a Research Domain More ‘Scientific’? Undergraduate Judgements on Biology and Psychology

Abstract

There is considerable discussion about the assumptions that individuals have about the nature of knowledge and beliefs, and whether or not these views are general or specific to different domains of knowledge. The aim of this study was to compare views about research into psychological development and biological development held by undergraduate psychology students. One hundred and seventy first-year psychology students completed a questionnaire about their beliefs concerning research in biology and psychology. Fifty-four of these students had a background in biology and 116 did not. Both groups judged research findings from biology to be significantly more certain, less complex and less open to evaluation and interpretation than research findings from psychology. These views were held to an even greater extent by the students with a background in biology. Our findings are discussed in relation to students' views about the nature of science acquired in school science classes and the implications for teachers of psychology wishing to develop students' understanding of the discipline.