By using scientific methods psychologists are able to find answers to questions about the nature of human behaviour that are far more valid and legitimate than those resulting from mere intention and speculation. Psychology possesses a well-organized theory that is supported by relevant psychological laws & principles. The experiment can be replicated by other researches and verified. The first definition of the Psychology was the study of the soul: The earliest attempts at defining Psychology owe their origin to the most mysterious and philosophical concept, namely that of soul. 6. But when observation takes place without these consideration it is called unstructured observation. The researcher acts as a catalyst to a comprehensive expression of the subject’s feelings, belief and of the frame, of reference within which such feelings which are expressed by the subjects personal significance. The names of psychologists like Edward Tolman and Jean Piaget are associated with the propagation of the ideas of this school of thought. This explores the relations between the psychological factors and physical ailments and disease. “Psychology is the science and the properly trained psychologist is a scientist, or at least a practitioner who uses scientific methods and information resulting from scientific investigations”. Those who study Health Psychology are called health psychologists. The observation of events are systematized in various ways but mainly classifying them into categories and establishing general laws and principles to describe and predict events as accurately as possible. A random sample of entire population is not always necessary or even desirable. scientific psychology, concept, definition, scope and various branches of psychology. These branches are divided according to the major schools of psychology. Counselling psychologists advise students on effective study habits and the kinds of job they might be best suited for, and provide help concerned with mild problems of social nature and strengthen healthy lifestyle, economical and emotional adjustments. They should convey only one thought at a time. ). As some observe and believe that psychological disorders arise from a person’s unresolved conflicts and unconscious motives, others maintain that some of these patterns are merely learned responses, which can be unlearned with training, still others are contend with the knowledge of thinking that there are biological basis to certain psychological disorders, especially the more serious ones. This is called sampling. It studies the role of motivation in sport, social aspects of sport and physiological issues like importance of training on muscle development, the coordination between eye and hand, the muscular coordination in track and field, swimming and gymnastics. This is the method of observation of the behaviour or the ability of the individual under controlled condition or fixed circumstances. Naturalistic observation method which is the systematic study of behaviour in natural settings, can be used to study the behaviour of animals which are in wild or in captivity. 2. It is also concerned with designing tests to evaluate student performance. Many experiences are either partly or wholly unconscious and cannot be observed consciously and analyzed. There are two general grouping of psychologists: research psychologists and applied psychologists. BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY General Psycholo gy Physiologic al Psychology Pure Psycholo gy Developmental Psychology Development al Psychology Abnorma l Psycholo gy Child Psycholo gy Social Psycholo gy Clinical Psychology Forensic Psycholog y Applied Psychology Biological Psycholog y Education al Psychology Business Psycholog y Psycholog y Abnormal psychology is one of the most basic forms of psychology study, and is taught in Law and Human … In direct personal interview, the investigator collects information directly from the sources concerned. The method of participant observation has a number of advantages, the researcher can record natural behaviour of the group and he can gather information which cannot be easily obtained; if he stays outside the group, and also he can verify the truth of statements made by the subjects in the context of schedule or questionnaires. Though there are many such methods used by psychologists, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. 1. This refers to whether the questionnaire is ‘unstructured’ or ‘structured’. Here the major aim of this type of observation is to get a spontaneous picture of life of the persons. (ii) It would not include subconscious and unconscious activities of mind. The term behaviour includes the cognitive, Conative and affective, conscious, subconscious or unconscious, implicit or explicit. INTRODUCTION. It studies thinking, memory, language, development, perception, imagery and other mental processes in order to peep into the higher human mental functions like insight, creativity and problem-solving. Either past behaviours or future intensions, do not complicate it. This educational video is about application of various branches of psychology. When this is not the case, the sample is said to be biased sample (manipulated). It is difficult to know whether the sample is really representative. 1. Physiological Psychology: In the most fundamental sense, human beings are biological organisms. Intelligence tests measure the intellectual capacity of an individual and achievement tests through light on achievement of student in various subjects they are studying. Social psychologists work largely in colleges and universities and also other organizations. In terms of the study of consciousness: The description and explanation of the states of consciousness is the task of Psychology which is usually done by the instrument introspection—process of looking within. This is of great importance for a teacher or an educator. DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY. To establish a clear-cut relationship between a stimulus and response, all other possible influences must be eliminated. b. Unstructured interview is flexible in its approach to questioning. Experimental method requires a laboratory and is expensive. Thus the structured questionnaires are simple to administer and relatively inexpensive to analyze. Abnormal Psychology. The interviewer can obtain a perfect idea about the subject through other means of assessing. Education is nothing but providing guidance to the growing child. Applied Psychology. 3. 1. It focuses on the relationships between people and their physical and social surroundings. In order to make a questionnaire effective the question sequence must be clear and should have smooth flow. They cannot be verified and have to be accepted at face value. If such an attempt is made, the experience disappears. It may include information about the person’s childhood dreams, fantasies, experiences, relationships and hopes that throw light into the person’s behaviour. It believes that … 1.2 SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY From the definition of psychology now it might be clear to you that psychology addresses a variety of issues related to mental and behavioural functioning of an individual. The behaviour that occurs will be co-related with the stimulus. They provide support and guidance relating to stress management, losing weight, smoke reduction, preventing drug and alcohol abuse. When observations are carried out under standardized conditions they should be observed with a careful understanding of the units, that is the style of recording observed information and the selection of dependent or related data of observation concerned, then it is called structured observation. They should conform as much as possible to the respondent’s way of thinking. We cannot accumulate information from abnormal people using this method. Crosschecking is necessary to make sure that observations are reliable or consistent from person to person. Psychology is the study of behavior and the mind. Then a hypothesis is formed; it is a suggested answer to the problem under investigation, based on the knowledge that existing in the field of study. Social and environmental factors affect the way we think, say and do. Psych 101 - Introduction to Psychology - Lecture 1 … Because experiences are unique, they cannot be repeated and so introspection cannot be repeated. The relevance of these scientific methods extends beyond testing and evaluating theories and hypotheses in psychology. Career Scopes of Psychology in India . What is soul? Thus it is not simply enough to describe behaviour. The overall personal aspect of an individual can also be assessed. a. 9. So by adopting all these methods, psychology collects information about behaviour, which helps us to study the behaviour systematically. It is systematically planned, recorded and is subjected to check and control its validity and reliability. Here no attempt is made to use precautional instruments or methods. 3. 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The other way of classifying observation is that of controlled and uncontrolled observations: It is that which takes place in natural setting. Large samples can be used and so the results can be made dependable and reliable. This involves collection of data by having a direct verbal communication between two people. This definition was also rejected on the grounds that: (i) It could not include the study of the consciousness of animals. There is possibility of ambiguous responses or omission of responses to some questions. This method makes use of carefully devised and standardized tests for measuring attitudes, interest, achievement, intelligence and personality traits. It consists of a number of questions printed in a definite order which the respondents have to answer. 5. There will be two variables. 5. Psychologists use many scientific methods for research purposes to understand various psychological issues more scientifically. Control group provides a base line against which the performance of experimental group can be composed. Clinical psychologists are employed in hospitals, clinics and private practice. When the sample is large, the questionnaire method is economical. Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. The group that receives the experimental treatment is called the experimental group (The group that receives no treatment is called the control group). 3. 4. 3. In this, behaviour is observed according to definite pre­arranged plans involving experimental procedure. 5. In personal interviews an interviewer asks questions generally in a face to face contact with the person being interviewed. We are not immune from societal and global pressures and tragedies, and cannot insulate from them. Such a study helps us to develop a basic understanding about human nature and facilitates us to deal with a number of personal and social problems. There are several branches of psychology that have great scope. They are also very much involved in studies of the disturbed children and advising parents about helping such children. To test the hypothesis, relationship between variables is examined. Here, we look at the main branches of psychology. In this article we will discuss about:- 1. The dependent variable is the factor that varies with the change in the independent variable that is subject’s behaviour. It may be based on careful observation or formal psychological testing. Scope of Psychology: The field of psychology can be understood by various subfields of psychology making an attempt in meeting the goals of psychology. It also studies the individual traits that differentiate the behaviour of one person from that of another person. 1. This branch helps to explain both consistency and change in a person’s behaviour over time, from birth till the end of life through the influence of parents, siblings, playmates, school, society and culture. This branch of psychology takes the biopsychosocial approach which regards health as the combination of effects of biological processes such as viruses and tumors; psychological processes such as stress, beliefs and cognitions; behaviors and actions such as risk-taking and gambling; and social factors such as ethnicity and way of life. Online psychology, traffic psychology, spiritual psychology, and aviation psychology are just a few different fields that have sprung up in recent years. 4. • Hypnosis was initially used for treatment in this branch of psychology. Mental processes refer to all the internal and covert activity of our mind such as thinking, feeling and remembering. The educational psychologist works with both the teacher and the apprentice, which … Each question must be clear because any kind of misunderstanding can harm the survey. 1. They often work closely with other specialists in the field of mental health. As the person is directly accessible he can use other means of communication to assess the individual. Complete control of the extraneous variables is not possible. Meaning and Definitions of Psychology 2. It focuses on a broad range of issues such as discrimination against women, the possibility of structural differences in the brain of men and women, the effect of hormones on behaviour, and the cause of violence against women, fear of success, outsmarting nature of women with respect to men in various accomplishments. Content Guidelines 2. 2. The results obtained from introspection are subjective and so lack scientific validity. For instance, an experimenter may begin by conducting experiment on a particular population and then repeat the experiment on broader or more representative samples. In non-participant observation the observer detaches himself from the group that is being observed. Questionnaire which include definite, concrete and predetermined questions and highly structured questionnaire is one in which all questions and answers are specified and comments by the respondents are held to the minimum. Introspection is a method of studying the consciousness in which the subjects report on their subjective experiences. One broad … Like any other science, psychology attempts to explain, predict, modify and ultimately improve the lives of people in the world in which they live. Social psychologists conduct experiments to determine the effects of various groups, group pressures and influence on behaviour. This is generally used in developing the hypotheses and constitutes a major type of unstructured interview. 4. In clinical interviews concern is given to the feelings or motivations of individuals life experiences. It gives in-depth information about the individual. It has its applied aspects in the form of various branches of applied psychology like industrial, legal, clinical, and educational psychology. In introspection, the subject is taught to achieve a state of “focused attention” in which he can closely observe his own conscious experiences. The questionnaire is not flexible because there is no possibility of changing the questions to suit the situation. Sociology of Economy. They should be simple, easily understood and concrete. 2. (8) Guidance and Counseling: ADVERTISEMENTS: This is one of the most important fields or areas of study included in the field of Educational Psychology. CHAPTER I. Sometimes, it so happens that the observer may observe in such a way that his presence is unknown to the people he is observing. nature of psychology Educ_Louie Tanaka. This method involves in asking large numbers of individuals to complete the given questionnaires or through interviews by interviewing people directly about their experiences, attitudes or opinions. Thus the goal of introspection is to learn about the basic building blocks of experience and the principles by which they combine to give us our everyday consciousness. The word Psychology has its origin from two Greek words ‘Psyche’ and ‘Logos’, ‘psyche’ means ‘soul’ and ‘logos’ means ‘study’. Sometimes, unforeseen factors may interfere with observation. Biopsychology: It analyzes how the brain and neurotransmitters influence our behaviors, thoughts and feelings. The results are clear and straight forward. Another way of classifying observation is that of participant and non-participant types of observation. It is considered as the heart of survey operation. The branches of psychology primarily addressed in this topic article are those whose foundations and applications are especially pertinent to facilitate informed actions toward sustainable world development. An experiment aims to investigate a relationship between two or more factors by deliberately producing a change in one factor and observing its effect on other factors. The private and public organizations apply psychology to management and employee training, supervision of personnel, improve communication within the organization, counselling employees and reduce industrial disputes. Before publishing your Articles on this site, please read the following pages: 1. How can it be studied, etc. It is important to remember that no single branch of psychology is more important or better than any other. Structured observation is useful in descriptive studies, while unstructured observation is useful in exploratory studies. 3. It deals with the assessment and intervention of abnormal behaviour. The relation of one question to another should be readily apparent to the respondent. At the broadest level, there is “basic psychology” (realm of neuroscientists and academicians — more serious professionals) and there is “applied psychology” (realm of psychiatrists, counsellors, policy-makers, product designers etc. Thus literally, Psychology means ‘the study of soul’ or ‘science of soul’. Here the interviewer simply encourages the respondent to talk about the given topic with a minimum of direct questioning. This provides formulized data upon which generalizations can be built with considerable accuracy. THE NATURE and SCOPE OF PSYCHOLOGY LESSON AIM Define psychology and explain basic theoretic approaches Despite their interest in the subject, students of psychology often find it difficult to answer this basic question in a clear, concise an d specific manner. It is the performing of an experiment that is a tightly controlled and highly structured observation of variables. He will be able to report the smallest possible elements of awareness. All types of behaviour cannot be experimented. They also help in designing the curriculum to make learning more interesting and enjoyable to children. This concentrates on psychological factors of women’s behaviour and development. Behaviour includes all of our outward or overt actions and reactions, such as verbal and facial expressions and movements. Introspection or self-observation may be considered as a old method but it is something we are doing almost constantly in our everyday life. These investigations explain many incidents that would otherwise be difficult to understand. Because the interviewer is present on the spot, the respondent may become overstimulated and give imaginary information just to make the interview more interesting. Child Psychology. Physiological functions and the structure of our body work together to influence our behaviour. Surveys are often repeated over long period of time in order to trace the shifts in public opinion. There are different types of psychology, such as cognitive, forensic, social, and developmental psychology. This website includes study notes, research papers, essays, articles and other allied information submitted by visitors like YOU. Highly dependable cause-effect relationships can be established. Most standard modern definitions of psychology describe its essence as the science of behavior. Problem is the relationship which experimenter wishes to study between two or more variables. a. 5. Branches of Psychology Someof theimportant branchesof psychology for our courseare: Developmental psychology Personality psychology Social psychology Industrial /organizational psychology Clinical and counseling psychology Experimental and … 3. We are living in a fast-paced world these days. 1. Psychology has these characteristics; it clearly belongs within the province of science. Thus we can say that in organizational and industrial sectors not only the psychological effects of working attitude of the employees are considered but also the physical aspects are given importance to make workers feel healthy. Once the experiment has been conducted, the results have to be summarized and a conclusion drawn. The second chapter of the book ‘Biological bases of behaviour’ includes the items briefly from the stream of Bio-psychology or Physiological Psychology. In an unstructured questionnaire the researcher is presented with a general guide on the type of information to be obtained, but the exact question formulation is not set. b. Methods. The different branches of Psychology. They capture much of the scope of contemporary psychology but do not encompass all branches. It is not based on common sense, reasoning or logic alone. The domain of psychology has, in course of time, emerged as one of the important disciplines while widening its scopes and being applicable to different fields of human endeavors, such as, employment, industries, education, personality development and being one of its popular branches, to the treatment of mental and emotional problems. Scope and Branches of Psychology. Biopsychology is the branch that specializes in the area. Course Duration: Bachelor of Science [B.Sc] (Psychology) is 3 Years. Thus the subject has to depend upon memory which itself may be subject to distortions, omissions and commissions. A few of its branches may be outlined briefly in this. Which will help the students to prepare and know briefly about what exactly psychology meants. He can control this variable according to the requirements of the experiment. The experiments and observations which are made can be repeated and verified by others because of its objectivity, reliability, validity and predictability which are the characteristics of basic science. This method is independent of the subject willingness to respond and so does not require active participation of the subject. A clinical psychologist is a licensed psychologist who specializes in abnormal psychology where he or she observes, identifies, and devises treatment suited to the needs of the emotional and/or behavioral disorders of the clients. 4. These scientific methods reduce bias and errors in understanding various behavioural aspects. In his book An Outline of Psychology, “Psychology is a science which aims to give us better understanding and control of the behaviour of the organism as a whole”. Notes, Psychology, Introduction to Psychology. Introduction to psychology Muddsar Siddiqui. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Branches of psychology: Subcategories. This includes the study of motivation, intelligence, personality, use of rewards and punishments, size of the class, expectations, the personality traits and the effectiveness of the teacher, the student-teacher relationship, the attitudes, etc. There are the different methods used in psychology to study the behaviour. Developmental and Educational Psychology; It is the branch of Psychology that is dedicated to analyzing and improving teaching and learning, understanding as teaching and learning those processes that take place within the framework of a school or within the family nucleus. The method cannot be used to study children, animals, insane people, feeble­minded and those who are not good at verbal expression. It studies the impact of noise,heat, humidity, pollution and crowding onhuman performance & also focuses on theimpact of physical environment onpsychological health. Either partly or wholly unconscious and can not accumulate information from abnormal people using method! 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