Psychology Definition, Field, & Methods

Definition
Psychology is the scientific Study of behavior and
mental processes
behavior (what people doas actions and reactions to stimuli)
mental processes( think, feel, perceive, reason, remember and biological
activities)
:and how they are affected by
: an organism’s -1
,physical state 1.1
,affective state 1.2
,and mental state 1.3
.and external environment -2
Psychology Scientifically describes, predicts and explains
human behavior and mental processes
.It aims at changing and improving People’s lives
Psychology: Subfields or Branches (what psychologists do) 1
 Psychologists seek knowledge as
 basic psychology is the study of psychological issues to find out about rules and principles
governing behavior.
 Applied Psychology is the study of psychological issues that have direct practical significance
and the application of psychological findings.
 Psychologists usually fall into three categories: 1) academic & research, 2)
Psychological practice, and 3) community psychology.

Academic / research clinical Psychologists in industry,

psychologists law, or other settings
Specialize in areas of pure Work in one or Do research or consult to
or applied research combination of institutions in the
community
Developmental Private practice Sports
Psychometric Mental health clinics / services Consumer issues
Health Hospitals Advertising
Educational Research Environmental issues
Social teaching Public policy analysis
Industrial/organizational Survey research / opinion polls
Consumer
Physiological
Perception and sensation
Psychology: Subfields or Branches (what psychologists do) 2
Area of Study of Behavior Related Subfield
Biological Foundation of Behavior Neuropsychology

Perception sensation of our world Experimental Psychology

Change and stability in life span Developmental Psychology

Psychological factors on physical & Health Psychology

Mental Health Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
School Psychology
Educational Psychology
Effects of Social Networks on Social Psychology
Behavior Cross-cultural Psychology
Organizational Psychology
Psychology expanded Evolution Psychology
Behavioral genetics
Clinical Neuropsychology
Psychology: Subfields or Branches (what psychologists do) 3
 Experimental psychologists: conduct laboratory
studies of learning , motivation, emotions, sensation
and perception, physiology, human performance,
and cognition.
 Health Psychologists: help people to deal with
health problems due to psychological factors. (blood
pressures, heart problems, ulcers etc….)
 Clinical Psychologists: diagnose, treat and study
mental or emotional problems and disabilities.
 Counseling Psychologists: help people deal with
everyday life problems.
Psychology: Subfields or Branches (what psychologists do) 4
 Educational psychologists: study psychological
principles that explain learning and search for ways
to improve learning in educational systems. Their
interests range from the application of findings on
memory and thinking to the uses of rewards to
encourage achievement.
 School psychology: work with parents, teachers,
and students to enhance students’ performance and
emotional development.
 Developmental psychologists: study how people
change and grow over time, physically,
mentally, ,and socially.
Psychology: Subfields or Branches (what psychologists do) 5
 Psychometric psychologists: design and evaluate
tests of mental abilities, attitudes, interests, and
personality Social psychologists: study how groups,
institutions, and the social context influence individuals
and vice versa. Among their interests are conformity,
obedience, competition, cooperation, leadership styles,
group decision making, and prejudice.
 Industrial / organizational psychologist: study
behavior in the work place. They are concerned with
group decision making, employee morale, work
motivation, productivity, job stress, job satisfaction,
personnel selection, marketing strategies, and
equipment design, and many other issues.
 Psychology: Subfields or Branches 1
What are the major Specialties in the field of Psychology?
 A science Evolves: The past, The Present, and the Future :
Origins of Development
 Thinkers and philosophers in the past have tried to understand
people’s behavior and mental processes. They did not however
use empirical evidence.
 Empirical: relying on or derived from observation,
experimentation, or measurement.
 Many pioneers contributed to psychology (such as John Locke, in
England).
 Wilhem Wundt (1832-1929) established the first laboratory in
Leipzig, Germany.
 He studied sensation, perception, reaction times, imagery, and
attention. He used a method called introspection.
Introspection is a form of self-observation in which
individuals examine and report the
contents of their own consciousness.
Psychology: Early Developments
 Structuralism ( Developed by Tichener (1867-1927), a student of Wundt).
- An early psychological approach that
stressed analysis of immediate experience into
basic elements (of behavior).
- The approach relied heavily on introspection.
 Functionalism: An early psychological approach that
stressed the function or purpose of behavior and
consciousness (W. James), & what psychologists benefited
from C. Darwin).
Today’s Perspectives 1
Perspectives refer to different kinds of explanations,
assumptions, and questions asked about human behavior.
 Neuroscience perspective: views behavior from
the perspective of the brain, the nervous system,
and other biological functions (Pioneer: Wilhelm
Wundt ). It emphasizes body events and changes
associated with actions, feelings, and thoughts.
 The Psychodynamic perspective approaches that
emphasize unconscious dynamics within the
individual, such as inner forces, conflicts, or the
movement of instinctual energy. (Freud is the creator
of this approach).
 Behavioral Perspective: emphasizes the study of
observable behavior and the role of the environment as
a determinant of behavior. (pioneers: J. Watson, E. Pavlov &
B.F. Skinner).
Psychology: Perspectives 2
 Social Learning theory (or cognitive social learning
theory): propagates the idea that behavior is learned and
maintained through observation and imitation of others,
position consequences, and cognitive processes such as
plans and expectations. (proponent R. Bandura).
 The cognitive Perspective: emphasizes mental
processes in perception, memory, language, problem
solving, and other areas of behavior. How people think,
understand, and know about the world. (pioneers :Ellis,
Neisser, Piaget Bruner, Chomsky ).
 The Humanistic Perspective: believe in the will power of
humans. All individuals naturally strive to grow, develop and be in
control of their lives and behavior. (Abraham Maslow)
 ?What can Psychology do for you
 make you a more informed person: as it plays a large role in
our culture. We Know about ourselves and others in many
aspects of our behavior.
 Satisfies your curiosity about human nature: It helps you to
understand yourself and others
 Helps you control your life: you can apply psychological
findings to your own life. It offers techniques which help you
solve your problems, mange your feelings, improve your
memory deal properly with others, etc.
 Help you on the job: the degree helps you get a job. It also
helps in other jobs: especially those which involve interaction
with others (teachers, doctors etc… What can you benefit from
psychology in your field of specialization?).
 Give you insights into political and social issues:
psychology can help you make informed judgments about
issues such as crime, prejudice, discrimination etc…..
What can’t Psychology do for you?

 It can’t tell you the meaning of life: A philosophy about

the purpose of life requires not only the acquisition of
knowledge but also reflection and a willingness to learn
from life’s experiences.

 It won’t relieve you of responsibility for life actions:

it is one thing to understand the origins of offensive or
antisocial behavior and another thing to excuse it.

 It doesn’t provide simple answers to complex

questions: as psychologists disagree (perspectives),
one note answer to any question is somehow not
possible. The solution is integrating the best contribution
of each perspective.
How Psychologists Know What They Know “ Research in
”Psychology

Definition of Scientific Method:

The approach used by psychologists to systematically

acquire knowledge and understanding about behavior
and other phenomena of interest.
It is done in steps:
1. Identifying questions of interest
2. Formulating an explanation (s). Hypotheses & Theories,
3. Carry research to support or refute the explanation(s).
4. Communication of the findings.
How Psychologists Know What They Know “ Research in
”Psychology
characteristics of science
1. Precision: Scientists use specific precise ways to prove or explain a phenomenon.
They formulate explanations that can be tested. These are called Hypotheses.
They are derived from theories or observations.
A Theory: is an organized system of assumptions and principles that purports to explain a specified
set of phenomena and their interrelationships.
A Hypothesis: is a statement put into specific terms. It attempts to describe or explain behavior. It is
a statement that attempts to predict or to account for a set of phenomena. Scientific hypotheses
specify relationships among events or variables.
Operational definition: A precise definition of a term in a hypothesis, which specifies the operations
for observing and measuring the process or phenomenon being defined.
2- Skepticism: means accepting new or old conclusions with caution.
3. Reliance on empirical evidence: scientific theories and hypotheses are judged to be
true or acceptable if they are backed (supported) by evidence. The evidence for a
scientific idea must be empirical, that is, based on systematic observation.
4- Willingness to make “risky predictions’: the scientist must state an idea in such a
way that it can be refuted, or disproved by use of the principle of falsifiability, It
means that a scientific theory must make predictions that are specific enough to
expose the theory to the possibility of disconfirmation
5. Openness: Scientists must be willing to tell others where they got their ideas, how
they tested them, and what the results were. They must do this clearly and in detail
so that other scientists can repeat, or replicate, their studies and verify the findings.
Methods of Research Descriptive Research

Description methods give descriptions of behavior to explain

behavior without intervening.
 Archival Research: The psychologist looks into existing data,
documents, census, records (medical, school, newspapers etc..) to test
hypotheses.
 Naturalistic Observation (Observational Studies): the researcher
carefully and systematically observes and records behavior without
interfering with it (does not make any change in the situation).
 Survey Research: Asking a representative sample of people questions
about their behavior, thoughts, and attitudes.
 Case Studies: is in-depth study (a detailed description) of an individual:
studying anything that will increase insight in the individual’s behavior.
by observation or formal psychological testing.
 Correlational Research: Looks at the relationship between two
variables (how one changes as the other does). The correclation could
be positive or negative.
Variable behavioral events or characteristics that vary in some way.
 Tests: are procedures used to measure and evaluate personality
traits, emotional state, aptitudes, interests, abilities and values.
Methods of Research Experimetal Research

This research tries to find explanations by controlling the situation by

experimental manipulation. The experimenter deliberately changes one
variable to observe the effects on another variable.

Elements of Experimentation:
Treatment: the manipulation don by the experimenter.
Experimental Group: The group which receives the treatment in
the experiment.
Control Group: the one does not receive the treatment.
Independent Variable: The one manipulated by the experimenter
to effect another.
Dependent Variable: the one that is affected (change as a
consequence) to another (independent).