The Scientific Field Of Psychology

As a result to concluding the chapter “How to Think Straight about Psychology” by Keith E. Stanovich, the infinite doors into Psychology have opened. I was immediately engaged into the history and conflicts between the continuity of previous and modern day psychology. It was astounding to find the amount of distaste, backed by modern psychologists, on the workings of Sigmund Freud, who I had recently thought to be the foundation to all psychology. However, after reading on about the diversity of psychology, it became apparent that the extensive amounts of subjects within the realm of this study, make it difficult for scientist and the overall population to agree on one unified idea. Psychology has criteria that is ever changing, but limited to the time period of discovery.

Psychology is an exceptionally multifaceted field of study, regardless, it can be commonly defined as the study of mental processes and human behavior. The goals of psychology are to describe, explain, predict and control the behavior of others. Psychology incorporates an extensive range of different perspectives into its general principles as well as focuses on securing them with applied research, case studies, evaluations, etc. I first became interested in psychology when I began to watch crime shows in Grade 8. It was tremendously fascinating to absorb such bizarre yet factual information pertaining to criminal offenders, multiple types of mental disorders as well as the personality traits and situations that are gateways to such chaos.

The lesson that is perhaps the most important one we learned this week is the scientific method. The scientific method is not only used in particularly every subsection in science, but allows psychologists to test different ideas about behavior. Pastorino and Doyle-Portillo in the General Psychology textbook describes the scientific method as “ a set of rules for gathering and analyzing information that enables you to test an idea or hypothesis”. (8) All scientists adhere to these standard set of rules in order to be able to better analyze the data and share the results throughout the scientific community. The scientific method consists of a few distinct parts: allow for observation, make a prediction, form a hypothesis, choose a research method/ design an

When psychology first emerged as a science, the process of explaining the human mind and human behavior began. In this essay we will present a brief synopsis of what psychology is and introduce the reader to the primary biological foundations of psychology that are linked to behavior as well as introducing the reader to the major schools of thought in psychology. In Kowalski and Westen Fifth Edition of Psychology, psychology is define as “the scientific investigation of mental processes such as; thinking, remembering, feeling, and behavior. Understanding a person requires attention to the individual’s biology, psychological experience, and cultural context.”(Kowalski & Weston, 2009, p. 4). Each component is necessary in formulating who

Pennington, D., McLoughlin, J. (2003) ' Debates in Psychology’ in (ed) Advanced Psychology. Child Development, Perspectives & Methods. United Kingdom: Hodder Education Group, pp.232.

The field of psychology is steadily expanding due to the progression in technology, which is being driven by the advancement of civilization. More and more time is spent on the internet, which has gradually altered the method in which primary communication takes place. Previously face-to-face interaction was touted as the primary method of interfacing with one another, now communication via the internet is almost mandatory to establish and maintain healthy relationships (Greenfield and Yan, 2006). This is especially true amongst children, adolescents and teenagers. The need for psychologists have never been greater in order to assess how individuals are able to acclimate to this societal change. Traditionally, there are two methods in which children, adolescents and teenagers communicate via the internet, through social media and video games. Each primary method presents their own unique social challenge. In response to the issues in of teenagers over use of the internet, psychologists are providing assistance for internet addictions at a greater rate. The first method utilized by mental health professionals is traditionally counseling and if those efforts fail, then the potential exists for adolescents to be placed on medications.

1. Empiricism states that knowledge can only be derived from the senses. Every science utilizes the empirical approach, which has developed into the utilization of the scientific method to gain knowledge. (McLeod, 2008) Since psychology depends on the scientific method to attain knowledge, psychology can conclusively be considered a science. Besides empirical evidence, some other key traits of a science are the following: objectivity, control, predictability, hypothesis testing, and replication. (McLeod, 2008) Psychology ensures objectivity via single-, double-, and triple-blind experiments. Causation can only be confirmed in psychology through an experiment where all variables (besides the independent

Psychology is a scientific discipline that studies the mind, how it works and how it affects an individual’s behaviour. Over time, psychodynamic, behavioural, cognitive, humanistic and evolutionary perspectives have been developed for understanding of psychological occurrences (Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2015). They continue to contribute to the way that psychologists, health professionals and others look at human behaviour and mental processes. In an allied health context, it is important to not only be aware of physical problems presented by patients, but to also be aware of their mental and social condition. In fact, “the biopsychosocial model reflects the belief that biological, psychological, and social factors interact in an

The field of Psychology has been an area of study, since Wilhelm Wundt did the first psychology lab in 1879 (McLeod, 2008), and since then we have come a very long way in discovering what makes up human behaviors and mental processes. It is important to learn about the field of psychology, especially in the field of Child and Youth care because, understanding how the brain works and understanding the actions, and or reasoning behind feelings may help with the cognitive therapy of a child in need. To begin, I believe having the correct knowledge and understanding how neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin affect the brain are important. As well as having the knowledge of the different parts of the limbic system such as the hippocampus (memory), amygdala (emotion), thalamus (brain directory), hypothalamus (breathing, hunger, thirst, sleep). Finally, classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a way of teaching through stimuli and events (David G. Myers, 2014). We study psychology to gain more knowledge on areas of the brain, how they work, and how they may affect an individual. Three areas in the field of psychology that could improve my learning academics/ employment skills include classical conditioning, dopamine, and the amygdala.

Authored by Keith E. Stanovich, How to Think Straight About Psychology is a known work of the psychology world which was published in 1986. Beginning courses in psychology use his text frequently. Stanovich primary purpose for writing the text is to bring attention to his observation that the public’s understanding of psychology is different from psychology as a modern science. Psychology as a modern science explains the underlying functions that shape human attitudes and behavior. To the people who misunderstand this, the field of psychology is not a real science, but a pseudo-science instead. How to Think Straight About Psychology describes people’s several false impressions of psychology and it gives its readers a factual understanding of the field as a modern and scientific psychology while explaining how this science works.

This field attempts to analyze the belief systems of individuals and how they affect behavior.

Psychology is an ever evolving field of study that is truly just in its infancy. Although tremendous strides have been made in our understanding of behavior, cognitions, emotions and brain functions, it has only been in the last 130 years that psychology has been studied as a science (Goodwin, 2015, p. 4). It is important for mental health professionals to understand the history and evolution of psychology because it is difficult, if not impossible, to fully grasp the subject without understanding its history. Goodwin (2015) explains that knowing the history of psychology helps us critically think about current issues and puts us in a better position to evaluate new claims of

The psychology department of State University is considered an academic discourse community. They have a stated purpose, requirements for membership, and exercise intercommunication techniques. Furthermore, they have shared common knowledge that they use to advance their discipline and attract new members. Eleanor Kutz, a leading expert in the field of language and literacy, argues that academic discourse communities differ from informal ones in the critical area of assumed shared knowledge. She states, “building on the assumed shared knowledge...affects how people participate in academic communities, including introductory ones” (Kutz 344). In other words, professors introduce basic concepts when students enter the community. These

What captivated my interest in working within the field of psychology was the joy and sense of accomplishment after aiding another individual in need. Since high school I have been involved in volunteer work assisting individuals by helping them acquire new skills, or becoming a friendly mentor. Throughout the years I learned how to observe others, as in discovering how different a person may react to a certain situation, to how they interact within their social groups. Since my volunteer work in high school, I went forth in taking up clinical psychology courses throughout my college career and also acquired a summer job that let me expand and learn more outside of the classroom, which then proven to me again that I love the psychology filed in helping people.

Throughout history there has been many different theory’s that have been presented, in numerous fashions. From psychology’s inception there has been attempts to answer many different questions, how much of our animal heritage exists, are humans basically good, is human nature neither good nor bad, do humans possess free will, is psychology really a science? There has been a persistent question throughout the ages, how are the mind and body related? This question of if there truly is a mind, and if there is, how is it linked to the body has been the center of many debates since the beginning of psychology. Every psychologist in history has at some point dealt with the question “How are the mind and body related”, and each had their own