There is a subject that usually attracts the attention of students who start in the psychology career and is statistics. Thinking that they had got rid of the numbers, this terrible reality soon appears. Why is it useful for a psychologist or anyone interested in this area?
When we study psychology, we encounter topics such as ‘Fundamentals of Research’, ‘Data Analysis’, ‘Research Drawings’, ‘Psychometry’ or the like. We are talking about subjects that are directly related to statistics, on the other hand, these subjects are generally not the most appreciated by those who opt for the psychology career, since many students do not like and feel motivated to study them.
- In this article we will try to answer the questions that many students and curious are asking the most.
- To develop these answers we will talk about psychology as science and the usefulness of statistics in this profession.
Let’s remember that psychology is a science. All conclusions drawn from this discipline are (or should come) from the application of a comprehensive and reliable system called a scientific method, which is based on the gradual accumulation of evidence using different mathematical resources.
Psychology is a vast discipline with applications in different fields: clinical, educational, sports, social, commercial, etc. However, behind the app is the search; i. e. the contrast in the effectiveness of the procedures applied. This contrast requires statistics as an instrument. When it comes to making correct conclusions about observable reality, we need mathematics to assess the importance of results obtained in experiments and research.
If statistics did not exist in psychology, we would not know if the observed results would be valid and reliable, a correct methodology and mathematical study provide the necessary security for the data obtained in our research, which will be useful when we intend to apply to real-world situations.
Psychology is a science and, therefore, it is necessary to use an abstract system that allows us to work more free of opinions and subjectivity, this system is a scientific method and one of its main aspects is the use of statistics as a tool. It is therefore of paramount importance that psychologists focus on their study and understand at least their fundamental principles in depth.
A student who has just entered a psychology course may find the study of statistics useless; However, in a short time this same psychology student will realize that these mathematical resources are very necessary to understand the subject in depth. and statistics from different studies, such as the coefficients of variability and reliability of the tests used in therapies, mathematical models of cognitive processes?
For obvious reasons, if you are interested in research in the field of psychology (or simply in having more comprehensive training for your work), methodology and statistics are essential so that you can truly assess the weight of the findings obtained in the research. your hands. This will allow you to evaluate the extent to which the procedure used by the researchers is most appropriate or how reliable the results are.
In both clinical psychology and other applied fields, we are required to be continually educated; what it means to be on the search for new updates in the discipline, if we want to know and interpret the conclusions of academic psychology it is necessary to have a minimal knowledge of statistics and methodology, so even in the most remote areas of research, a psychologist finds himself?Thank you for your knowledge of statistics and data analysis.
Psychology statistics is a subject that generates a lot of fear and a little headache among students, however, it is very rewarding and useful to know how to use the resources it offers, so it is important that students and stakeholders are enthusiastic about studying methodology and analyzing data.