Download What Is Psychology?

What Is Psychology?
Chapter One
Psychology as a Science
Definition:
the scientific study
of behavior and mental
processes
Psychology as a Science
As science, uses the
scientific method, as
opposed to subjective
opinion, to develop theories
about variables to describe,
explain, predict, and control
behavior and mental
processes
Theory
Definition:
a formulation of relationships
underlying observed events
Theory
 Based on
assumptions about
behavior and mental
processes
 Contain statements about the
principles and laws that may
govern them
Theory
 Allow
us to derive
explanations and predictions
 Describe, Explain, Predict,
Control
What Psychologists Do
Wide variety of subject
areas for psychologists
Pure Research
vs. Applied Research
What Psychologists Do
Pure Research:
Conducted without concern
for immediate applications to
personal or social problems
(research for its own sake)
What Psychologists Do
Applied Research:
Designed to find solutions
to specific personal or social
problems
Subfields of Psychology
Clinical
Counseling
School
Educational
Subfields of Psychology
Developmental
Social/Personality
Experimental
Cognitive
Subfields of Psychology
Industrial/Organizational
Physiological/Biological
Emerging Fields:
Forensic & Health
Clinical Psychology
 Specialize
in helping people
with psychological problems
adjust to the demands of life
Ex: anxiety, depression,
sexual dysfunctions, loss of
goals
 Evaluate problems through
structural interviews and
psychological tests
Clinical Psychology
Help clients resolve their
problems and change
maladaptive behavior
through techniques of
psychotherapy and
behavior therapy
Clinical Psychology
Psychotherapy:
Application of
psychological
knowledge to the
treatment of problem
behavior
Clinical Psychology
Behavior Therapy:
Application of learning
to the direct
modification of problem
behavior
Clinical Psychology
Work in institutions for mentally ill,
outpatient clinics, college clinics,
private practice
 Largest subgroup (what most people
think when hear about psych)
 Differs from psychiatrist (medical
doctors who specialize in treatment)

Counseling
 Counsel
people facing
challenges
 Use interviews and tests to
define their clients problems
 Clients typically have
maladjustment problems but
not serious psychological
disorders
Counseling
Clients may encounter difficulty in
making academic or vocational
decisions or making friends, marital
and family conflicts, physical
handicaps, adjustment problems
 Various counseling methods to help
clients clarify goals and find ways of
surmounting goals

Counseling
Employed at college
counseling and
testing centers,
rehabilitation
agencies
School Psychologists
Facilitating the social,
intellectual, and emotional
development of children
 Work in schools
 Consult with students with
problems that interfere with
learning
Ex: social, family, emotional
problems, and specific learning
disorders

School Psychologists



Define problems through: interviews
with parents, teachers, students,
achievement and intelligence tests,
classroom observations
Consult with teachers, school
officials, parents, teachers and other
professionals
Placement of students in special
education and remediation programs
Educational Psychologists
Concerned
with
optimizing classroom
conditions to facilitate
learning
Design educational
programs and train
teachers
Educational Psychologists
 Improvement
of course planning
and instructional methods
 Research interests include how
motivation, intelligence,
sociocultural factors such as
poverty and acculturation and
teacher behavior affect learning
Developmental
Study the changes (physical,
emotional, cognitive, and social) that
occur throughout the life span
 Influences of heredity (nature) and
environment (nurture) on
development
 Topics: effects of maternal drug use
on the embryo, child rearing
practices, adolescent conflicts,
adjustment among older people

Social/personality
 How
we influence and interact
with other people
 Define human traits, determine
influence on thought processes,
feelings and behavior, explain
psychological disorders
 Human issues (anxiety,
aggression, gender roles)
Social/personality
Social and external influences
 Attitude formation and change,
interpersonal attractions and likings,
stereotypes, conformity to group
norms, group decision making
processes
 Personality: tend to look within the
person for explanations of behavior

Experimental

Conduct research into fundamental
processes relevant to more applied
specialties
 Nervous system, sensation,
perception, learning, memory,
thought, motivation, emotion
 More likely to engage in basic or
pure research (usually study
animals)
Industrial/Organizational
 Behavior in
the workplace;
improving businesses in areas
such as personnel,
organizational efficiency
 Relationships between people
and work
 Assist in processes such as
hiring, training, and promotion
Industrial/Organizational
 Devise
tests that predict
successful performance of
various jobs (gallup poll)
 Make technical systems
(computer) more user friendly
 Strategies to appeal to the
consumer
Emerging Fields
 Forensic:
expertise within the
criminal-justice system
 Serve as
expert witnesses, testify
about competence of defendants
to stand trial or describe mental
disorders and how affect criminal
behavior
 Counsel officers help with stress,
hostage situations, suicide threats
Emerging Fields

Health:examine the ways in which
behavior and mental processes such as
attitudes are related to physical health
 Headaches, cardiovascular disease,
cancer
 Patient compliance with medical
advice
 Guide clients to take undertake more
healthy behaviors such as exercising,
quitting smoking, healthy diet
Questions
or
Concerns?