Is psychology a real science?

Psychology gains knowledge through experience

Question: Is psychology a real science?
Position1 of 3›: Psychology is a real science
Argument‹3 of 3: Psychology gains knowledge through experience

Knowledge is the end product which science strives to find. It can be gained not only by logic, but by experience as well.

The argument

Psychologists seek knowledge through experience. Psychologists can conduct experiments, observe behaviors, and record their findings just like a professional in any of the "hard sciences" can. Although the inner workings of the mind cannot be directly observed, psychologists can observe what a person says or does. This empirical approach produces substantial facts and evidence to support theories and hypotheses just as in any other science.

Premises

[P1]Psychologists gain knowledge empirically — conducting experiments, observing behaviour and recording findings as in any hard science. [P2] Although the mind cannot be observed directly, what people say and do can be, providing real evidence. [P3] This empirical approach yields facts that support theories just as in other sciences. [C] Therefore, because it gains knowledge through experience, psychology is a real science.

Counter-arguments

Experience is subject to human error because it is contingent upon the psychologist conducting the experiment or observation. Everyone's experience is different, so the results that one psychologist might get from an experiment could be completely different from what another gets from the very same experiment.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Thoughts and behaviors are poor sources of data because of how unreliably they vary. [Rejecting P2] Psychology can't be considered a science because a psychologist's only source of knowledge (experience) is not fully reliable.