Factors That Affect The Mental Process

One of the strengths of this approach is that it looks at thought processes which are ignored by other psychologists. Such processes are memory, attention and perception and have been studied to have an effect on behavior.

In the past, science applied induction principles in the world discovery via formulating theories and accurate observation based on observed regularities. An example is Newton’s Law. The observation on physical behavior of objects and production of laws which brought sense to observed objects. Currently the model of hypothetico-deductive has been proposed. Also there was a strong belief that behavior is influenced by individual differences and was a major contributor to mental health in that believed the mind required stimulation by arts. Another philosopher also believed that the mind was affected by the body (Brysbaert & Rastle, 2009).

There are four main characteristics of the scientific method: observation/measurements, make an assumption, test the assumption, and revise the assumption. The first stage we make an observations. For instance, I notice that my peppers in my garden are not growing well. I am going to assume this is because I did not water that area well enough. So I am now going to test my assumption. This is done by watering the peppers in my garden more frequently. Lastly, I am going to see if my assumption was correct. If my peppers only needed more water, they will begin to grow more rapidly. It is also possible that my assumption was wrong, and that my peppers were getting enough water; however, there could be something wrong with the soil, temperature, etc. These are the four main characteristics of the scientific method; it is important to note that our assumptions sometimes be wrong, thus it is always important that we test our assumptions to make sure we are correct.

Case studies, surveys, and naturalistic observations are a few research methods used by psychologists to facilitate the understanding of behavior. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages that are used in particular research scenarios. Techniques like observation or interactions between the researcher and the subject(s) such as extensive interviews to restrained experiments are what some research methods heavily rely on to be validated.

Cozby, Paul. C., Bates, Scott. C. (2012). Methods in Behavioral Research (11th ed). New York, NY:McHraw-Hill

Determinism is the idea that everything we do as humans is determined by events prior to us being born and events that have happened in the past. Decisions that you may think are based on your desires, are actually based of things beyond your control. But the big question is, if determinism is

Baer, D. M. (Spring, 1968). Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 91-97.

Determinism (as defined by Webster) is “A doctrine that acts of the will, natural events, or social changes are determined by preceding events or natural causes”. Likely, the most radical definition of determinism would state that all events in the world are the result of a previous event, or a combination of previous events. Within the realm of the all encompassing radical determinism there are philosophies that are somewhat better thought out or backed by science. One example of this is Genetic Determinism. We know that people are in some way determined by their genes both physically and behaviorally, as the human DNA is applied. Two categories of genetic determinism are Genetic Fixity and Innate Capacity.

Determinism is the belief that your future is fixed or determined, either by what you have genetically inherited or by your social environment and experience. The alternative to determinism is choice and interaction this is the belief that people can take control of their own lives through the choices they make. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘free will’ viewpoint.

The scientific method is a tool that enables a person to seek out new knowledge, or correct and integrate new knowledge. It is composed of eight individual steps: which start out with defining a question, gathering information and resources, form an explanatory hypothesis, test the hypothesis by performing an experiment and collecting data in a reproducible manner, analyze the data, interpret the data and draw conclusions that serve as a starting point for new hypothesis, publish results, and ends with a retest. The steps can be grouped into four different essential elements: operation, observation, model, and utility function.

My initial thoughts towards behavioral research did not encompass a complete understanding of its significance. Thus, there was a feeling of ambiguity towards its relevance, especially in the scope of everyday life. However, after reading Chapters 1 and 2 of Methods in Behavioral Research, the necessity for behavioral research became more defined. Specifically, the findings accumulated through research can be applied in various aspects of life, such as aiding mental health professionals in patient care decisions, developing educational programs, and influencing Supreme Court decisions (Cozby & Bates, 2012).

Throughout this course I have learned many things about research at an introductory level. Research is a critical part of all of our lives in many ways. God blesses each of us with a degree of common sense and we all learn from observing others even as babies, we learned behaviors and skills by observing our parents. Walking through experiences throughout life teach us a lot we need to know as well but sometimes we have to take a better approach when we need to learn about certain things. Many of us know that what works in some situations or with certain individuals doesn’t always work or is the safest option for another situation. Controlled and precisely organized study allows scientists to compare and examine contrasting methods and concepts, also helps them to discover various approaches and be able to learn from individual’s behaviors and experiences. I will act as the case study throughout this paper in order to observe what I have learned about.

J. F. Engel, D. T. Kollat, and R. D. Blackwell, Con8Xi7ner Behavior (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc.,

Systematic observation methodology will be used to carefully observe one or more specific behaviors in a particular setting. In this naturalistic observation research the researcher is interested in only a few specific behaviors that are quantifiable, and in this particular research there are prior developed hypotheses about the behavior. In this case the sample

What is psychology? The definition may have diverse answers in multiple phrases but they all correlate to the same understanding which is the study of human behavior and mental processes. However, there isn’t just the subject psychology itself but numerous branches extending off the subject such as abnormal psychology; “the scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning” (Comer, 2013, p.2). In other words, those specialized in the field work toward an understanding in the science by gathering information and doing experiments. To clinically pronounce someone abnormal, they must possess particular traits found in almost all cases: deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger. From here, scientists and other health professionals can claim the suffering individual as psychologically abnormal then work toward a route involving further diagnosis and treatments. Eventually, the route leads to a path involving several models that “are used to explain and treat abnormal functioning” (Comer, 2013, p.48). Because someone is pronounced abnormal, this doesn’t necessarily mean the condition is over and treatment can be provided. Health professionals must find the specific model to explain the abnormal behavior first then continue on the path of building a precise framework for the case after evaluating all possible weaknesses and strengths.