natural science

(noun)

Sciences concerned with predicting and describing natural phenomena (e.g., biology, physics, or chemistry), using systematic data collection and performing controlled experiments.

Related Terms

Examples of natural science in the following topics:

  • Evolutionary Psychology

    • Evolutionary psychology seeks to understand human behavior as the result of psychological adaptation and natural selection.
    • Evolutionary psychology is an approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective.
    • Proponents of evolutionary psychology suggest that it seeks to bridge the division between the human social sciences (such as psychology and sociology) and the natural sciences (such as biology, chemistry, and physics).
    • Evolutionary psychology stems from Charles Darwin's theories of evolution, adaptation, and natural selection.
    • The brain's adaptive mechanisms have been shaped over time by natural and sexual selection.

  • Defining Psychology

    • Psychology has been described as a "hub science" because psychological research has links to the social sciences, natural sciences, medicine, and the humanities (such as philosophy).

  • Psychology and the Scientific Method: From Theory to Conclusion

    • Descriptive studies describe the nature of the relationship between the intended variables, without looking at cause or effect.
    • In order to ask an important question that may improve our understanding of the world, a researcher must first observe natural phenomena.
    • Compared to chemistry, physics, and other "natural sciences," psychology has long been considered one of the "social sciences" because of the subjective nature of the things it seeks to study.

  • Network Models of Memory

    • Connectionism is an approach in cognitive science that models mental or behavioral phenomena as the emergent processes of interconnected networks that consist of simple units.
    • Taking its metaphors from the field of computer science, this model stresses the parallel nature of neural processing.

  • Reasoning and Inference

    • It is considered to be a definitive characteristic of human nature, and it is associated with a wide range of fields, from science to philosophy.

  • Reasoning

    • It is closely associated with such human activities as philosophy, science, language, mathematics, and art, and is normally considered to be a definitive characteristic of human nature.

  • Psychology and the Scientific Method

    • Descriptive studies describe the nature of the relationship between the intended variables, without looking at cause or effect.
    • Psychology seeks to examine subjective and hard-to-measure concepts, such as emotions, and because of this is often considered a "soft" science (as opposed to the "hard" sciences of chemistry and physics).
    • Defend why critical thinking is especially necessary in the soft science of psychology.

  • Early Frameworks: Structuralism and Functionalism

    • Titchener attempted to classify the structures of the mind much like a chemist classifies the elements of nature into the periodic table—which is not surprising, given that researchers were making great advancements in the field of chemistry during this time.
    • Functionalism's emphasis on the scientific study of the adaptive functions of behaviors and mental processes advanced the study of psychology as a science.

  • Classification and Categorization

    • However, over the history of cognitive science and psychology, three general approaches to categorization have been named.
    • , establishing the basis for natural taxonomy.
    • The concept of "necessary and sufficient conditions" usually doesn't work in the messy boundaries of the natural world.

  • Early Roots of Psychology

    • Many cultures throughout history have speculated on the nature of the mind, heart, soul, spirit, and brain.
    • Titchener attempted to classify the structures of the mind much like the elements of nature are classified in the periodic table—which is not surprising, given that researchers were making great advancements in the field of chemistry during his time.
    • Functionalism's emphasis on the scientific study of the adaptive functions of behaviors and mental processes advanced the study of psychology as a science.