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SEMESTER 1
Introduction to Psychology
I. What is Psychology?
I. 1. Definition
The term “psychology” was used for the first time in the fifteenth century at the time
when modern ways of thinking first began to change the mediaeval traditions. “Psychology”
is made of “psyche that refers to all the qualities of a man that are not physical. Psychology is
both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes of
behavior. It is also the study of cognitions, emotions, and behavior.
Psychology covers a wide range of information so selected as to give a picture of the
total behavior of human beings and less developed organisms. Behavior involves all that can
be observed including: acts, responses, activities, reactions, movements, processes,
operations … or any measurable response of an organism.
Psychologists use careful observation and rigorous experiments to find the causes of
various behaviors of human beings and other animal species. Using methods of scientific
research and inquiry, they seek to better understand how people behave in specific situations,
how and why we think the way we do, and how emotions develop and what impact they have
on our interactions with others. Doing so, they often give precise and valid answers to the
questions about the underlying processes that determine the complexity of our behaviors.
Psychologists study, for instance, such phenomenon as perception, cognition, emotion,
personality, behavior and interpersonal relationship. This is usually the main concern of the
research psychologists who often work in research organizations or universities.
I. 2. Importance of psychology
Psychology is very important because it involves questioning reality; asking such
questions as “How come?”, “Why is it so?”, “What would happen if…?” etc. It is also a way
of thinking about how living creatures cope with their environment and interact with each
other. For this, it is related to other disciplines such as philosophy, biology, sociology,
physiology, and anthropology.
But most important is the fact that psychology is practical; it can be used to improve
the quality of human life. Psychology is more than a mere description of how the mind
functions, of what causes a certain action, or the effects of a given event on a person’s
behavior. It includes prescriptions for change. Therefore, psychology is pragmatic because
psychologists are concerned about how to apply their scientifically gathered wisdom to
improve the human condition.
In other words, psychology is both an approach to gathering information about behavior
and a sort of source of knowledge obtained through research. Therefore it tries to apply such
knowledge to the different spheres of human activity, including issues related to daily life
such as family, education, and work. For instance, industrial-organizational psychologists
work with businesses and organizations to help them become more productive, effective, and
efficient, and to assist them in working with their employees and their customers.
Practitioners, on the other hand, or counseling and clinical psychologists, work with
individuals, couples, families, and small groups to help them feel less depressed, less anxious,
become more productive or motivated, and overcome issues which prevent them from living
up to their potential.
III. 3. Survey
Survey is very common tools of research and data collection not only in psychology.
They are often used in the news, especially to gather viewer opinions such as during a race
for president. A survey can gather large amounts of information in a relatively short time,
especially now with many surveys being conducted on the internet.
Still survey data is based solely on subjects’ responses which can be inaccurate due to
outright lying, misunderstanding of the question, and even the manner in which the question
is asked
III. 4. Correlational Studies
Correlation means relationship. So, the purpose of a correlational study is to determine
if a relationship exists, what direction the relationship is, and how strong it is. This form of
research can assess the strength of a relationship. It is popular with lay population because it
is relatively easy to explain and understand.
Yet, it cannot make any assumptions of cause and effect (explain how third a variable
can be involved, or how the variables can influence each other).
Domains of Psychology
Psychology includes many sub-fields of study and application concerned with such
areas as human development, sports, health, industry and spirituality.
II. 2. 1. Biopsychology is concerned with the biological basis of behavior.
II. 2. 2. Experimental psychology studies the processes of sensing, perceiving,
learning and thinking about the world.
II. 2. 3. Cognitive psychology deals with the higher mental processes like thinking,
language, memory, problem solving, knowing, reasoning, judging and decision making.
II. 2. 4. Developmental and personality psychology consider the change and
individual differences. While Developmental psychologists study how people grow and
change throughout their life span, personality psychologists considers the consistency and
change in an individual’s behavior as he or she moves through different situations. It also
deals with the differences that distinguish one person’s behavior from another’s when each is
placed in the same situation.
II. 2. 5. Health, clinical and counseling branches of psychology aim at promoting
physical and mental health. In health psychology, the focus is on the psychological factors
that affect the physical disease while the focus in clinical psychology is on the diagnosis and
treatment of abnormal behavior. Counseling psychology, on the other hand, treat the
educational, social and career adjustment problems.
II. 2. 6. Educational psychology explores how the educational process affects
students. In addition, school psychologists seek for assessing and treating the academic and
emotional problems of children in elementary and secondary schools.
II. 2. 7. Social psychology studies how people’s thoughts, feelings and actions are
affected by other people.