Summary 1- what is psychology ? Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes . 2- what are the goals of psychology ? Psychology seeks to describe , explain ,predict, and control behaviour and mental processes . Psychologists do not attempt to control the behaviour of other people against their wills . Instead , they help clients modify their behaviour for their own benefit . 3- what is the role of psychological theory ? Behaviour and mental processes are explained through psychological theories , which are sets of statements that involve assumptions about behaviour . Explanations and predictions are derived from theories . The theories are revised , as needed to accommodate new observations . If necessary , they are discarded . 4- what is the difference between pure and applied research ? Basic and pure research has no immediate applications . Applied research seeks solutions to specific problems . 5- what do clinical and counselling psychologists do ? Clinical psychologists help people who are behaving abnormally adjust to the demands of life . Counselling psychologists work with individuals who have adjustment problems and do not show abnormal behaviour . 6- what do school and educational psychologists do ? School psychologists assist students with problems that interfere with learning , whereas educational psychologists are more concerned with the theoretical issues concerning human learning . 7- what do developmental psychologists do ? Developmental psychologists study the changes that occur throughout the life span . 8- what do personality and psychologists study influences on our thought processes , feelings , and behaviour , whereas social psychologists focus on the nature and causes of behaviour in social situations . 9- what do experimental psychologists do ? Experimental psychologists conduct research into basic psychological processes , such as sensation and perception , learning and memory , and motivation and emotion . 10- what do industrial and organizational psychologists do ? Industrial psychologists focus on whereas organizational psychologists study the behaviour of people in organizations . 11- what contributions did the ancient Greek philosophers make to psychological thought ? The Greek philosopher Aristotle was among the first to argue that human behaviour is subject to rules and laws . Socrates proclaimed know thyself and suggested the use of introspection to gain self knowledge . 12- what are the major contemporary perspectives in psychology ? They are biological , cognitive , humanistic , psychoanalytic , and learning – theory perspectives . Biologically oriented psychologists study the links between behaviour and biological events such as brain activity and the release of hormones . Cognitive psychologists study the ways in which we mentally represent the world and process information . Humanistic psychologists stress the importance of subjective experience and assert that people have the freedom to make choices . 13- what is the scientific method ? The scientific method is a systematic means of advancing knowledge that consists of four steps . Formulating a research question , developing a hypothesis , testing the hypothesis , and drawing conclusions . 14- what is the naturalistic observation method ? This method observes behaviour carefully and unobtrusively where it happens in the field . 15- what is correlation research ? Correlation research reveals relationships between variables it determine cause and effect . In a positive correlation , variables increase simultaneously . In a negative correlation , one variable increases while the other decreases . 16- what is the experimental method ? Experiments are used to seek cause and effect . That is , the effects of independent variables on dependent variables . Experimental subjects are given a treatment , while control subjects are not blinds and double blinds may be used to control for the effects of the expectations of the subjects and the researches themselves . 17- what is the survey method ? With the survey method , psychologists use interviews and questionnaires and examine public records to learn about behaviour that cannot be observed directly .18- what is the testing method ? Psychologists use psychological tests , like intelligence , aptitude , and personality tests , to measure various traits and characteristics among a population . 19- what is the case study method ? Case studies are carefully drawn biographies of the lives of individuals . The case study approach is also widely used in psychological consultation and clinical practice . 20- what are the ethical standards of psychologists ? Ethical standards are intended to prevent mistreatment of human and animal subjects . Limits are set on the discomfort that may be imposed on animals . Records of human behaviour are kept confidential . Human subjects are required to give informed consent prior to participating in research …..................... the psychology of studying psychology when I first went off to researches , I had little idea of what to expect new faces , a new locale , responsibility for doing my own laundry , new courses it added up to an overwhelming assortment of changes . perhaps the most stunning change of all was the new found freedom . No body told me what to read or when to study . It was up to me to plan ahead to do my coursework but somehow manage to leave time for socializing and playing bridge . Another surprise was that it was no longer enough to enrol l in a course and sit in class . I learned that I was not a sponge and would not passively soak up the knowledge . Active measures were required to take in the subject matter . The problem of soaking up knowledge from this and other textbooks are not entirely dissimilar . Psychological theory and research have taught us that an active approach to learning results in better grades than a passive approach . Its better to look ahead and seek the answers to specific questions than to read the subject matter page by page like a good student , we tend to remember material better when we attend to it and when its meaningful . Reading in order to answer questions boosts our attention to it and renders it meaningful . Its also helpful not to try to do it all in one sitting , as in cramming before tests . Finally , research with human subjects . Human subjects must provide informed consent before they participating in research programs . Having a general overview of the research and the opportunity to choose but lam ready choose not to participate apparently gives subjects a sense of control and decreases the stress of participate ….........................................
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 11:05:44 +0000
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