The psychology of science is a branch of the studies of science that includes philosophy of science

Philosophy of science

The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...

, history of science

History of science

The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....

, and sociology of science or sociology of scientific knowledge

Sociology of scientific knowledge

The sociology of scientific knowledge ' is the study of science as a social activity, especially dealing "with the social conditions and effects of science, and with the social structures and processes of scientific activity."...

. The psychology of science is defined most simply as the scientific study of scientific thought or behavior. Some key figures currently in the psychology of science are William Brewer

William Brewer

William Brewer may refer to:*William Brewer , administrator and justice in England*William Briwere , his nephew, medieval bishop of Exeter*William Henry Brewer , American botanist*William M...

, Kevin Dunbar, Gregory Feist, Michael Gorman

Michael Gorman

Michael Gorman or Mike Gorman may refer to:*Michael Gorman , Irish traditional fiddler*Michael Gorman , British-born librarian*Michael A. Gorman, modern politician in North Carolina...

, David Klahr

David Klahr

David Klahr is an American psychologist whose research ranges across the fields of cognitive development, psychology of science, and educational psychology and has been a professor at Carnegie Mellon University since 1969...

, Barbara Kosloswki, Deanna Kuhn, Sofia Liberman, Dean Keith Simonton, Will Shadish, Frank Sulloway

Frank Sulloway

Frank J. Sulloway is a visiting Scholar in the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Psychology....

, Paul Thagard, Ryan Tweney, Ron Westrum

Ron Westrum

-Education:Born in Chicago in 1945, Westrum earned a B.A. in Social Relations in 1966 from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1972 from the University of Chicago.-Expertise:...

, and Wendy Parker.

The psychology of science applies methods and theory from psychology to the analysis of scientific thought and behavior, each of which is defined both narrowly and broadly. Narrowly defined, "science" refers to thought and behavior of professional scientists and technologists. More broadly defined, "science" refers to thought and behavior of any one (present or past) of any age engaged in theory construction, learning scientific or mathematical concepts, model building, hypothesis testing, scientific reasoning, problem finding or solving, or creating or working on technology. Indeed, mathematical, engineering, and invention activities are included in both the broader and narrower definitions as well. The methods of psychology that are applied to the study of scientific thought and behavior range from psychohistorical, psychobiographical, observational, descriptive, correlational, and experimental techniques.

The psychology of science has well-established literatures in most every subfield of psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

, including but not limited to: neuroscience, development, cognition, personality, motivation, social, industrial/organizational, and clinical. Feist's recent book The Psychology of Science and the Origins of the Scientific Mind reviews and integrates much of this literature. How scientific concepts are learned is a major topic for the psychology of science education

Science education

Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...

.

In 2006 the first scientific society for the psychology of science was founded in Zacatecas

Zacatecas

Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, The International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology (ISPST). Members of ISPST are psychologists and other scholars who study any form of scientific or technological thought or behavior, either narrowly or broadly defined. One goal of the society is to promote the application of psychology to the study of thought and behavior in science and technology. Research on the psychology of science and technology has the potential to inform policy, education, and business in selecting, recruiting, training, teaching, and hiring scientific and technological students and personnel. Therefore, ISPST seeks to:

• Promote research aimed at furthering the understanding of recruiting, recognizing, and retaining scientific talent.
• Promote research aimed at furthering the understanding of how students learn and how non-scientists reason about scientific concepts.
• Foster interdisciplinary relationships and research with educators, business leaders, and scientists themselves.

Suggested reading

• Campbell, D.T. (1988). Epistemology and methodology for social science. Chicago: Chicago University Press. ISBN 0226092488
• Dunbar, K. (2002). Understanding the role of cognition in science: The Science as Category framework. In In P. Carruthers, S. Stich, and M. Siegal (Eds.). The cognitive basis of science (pp. 154–171). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521812291
• Feist, G.J. (2006). The Psychology of Science and the Origins of the Scientific Mind. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 030011074X
• Feist, G.J., & Gorman, M.E. (1998). Psychology of science: Review and integration of a nascent discipline. Review of General Psychology, 2, 3-47.
• Fuller, S. (1993, 2nd edition). Philosophy of science and its discontents. New York: Guilford Press.ISBN 0898620201
• Giere, R. (Ed.)(1992). Cognitive models of science. Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota University Press.ISBN 0816619794
• Gholson, B., Shadish, W.R., Neimeyer, R.A., & Houts, A.C. (Eds.) (1989). The psychology of science: Contributions to metascience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0521354102
• Gorman, M. E. (1992). Simulating science: Heuristics, mental models and technoscientific thinking. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0253326087
• Klahr, D. (2000). Exploring science: The cognition and development of discovery processes. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN 0262112485
• Koslowski, B. (1996). Theory and evidence: The development of scientific reasoning. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN 0262112094
• Kuhn, D., E. Amsel, & M. O’Loughlin. (1988). The development of scientific thinking skills. Orlando FL: Academic. ISBN 0124284302
• Liberman S. Sofía. y K. B. Wolf. Las redes de Comunicación Científica. Aportes de Investigación / 41. CRIM. UNAM. 1990. ISBN 968-36-1519-8
• Shadish, W., & Fuller, S. (1994). The social psychology of science. Guilford Press. ISBN 089862021X
• Mitroff, I. (1974). The subjective side of science. Amsterdam: Elsevier.ISBN 0914105213
• Simonton, D.K. (1988). Scientific genius: A psychology of science. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521352878
• Simonton, D.K. (2004). Creativity in science: Chance, logic, genius, and Zeitgeist. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521352878
• Sulloway, F. J. (1996). Born to rebel: Birth order, family dynamics, and creative lives. New York: Pantheon. ISBN 0679758763
• Thagard, P. (1992). Conceptual revolutions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691024901
• Tweney, R. D. (1989). A framework for the cognitive psychology of science. In B. Gholson Shadish Jr., W. R., Neimeyer, R. A., & Houts, A. C. (Eds.), Psychology of science: Contributions to metascience (pp. 342–366). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521354102