Definition
Psychology is the scientific study of Behavior and Mental Processes.
Three key terms in this definition
1.
Science
2.
Behavior
3. Mental Process
Science
o
Psychology uses a systematic method to observe human behavior and draw conclusions.
o
The goal of psychological
science is to describe, predict, and explain behaviors.
o
Psychologists are often
interested in controlling or changing behavior, they use scientific methods to
examine interventions that might help, for example, reduce violence or promote
happiness.
Behavior
o Behavior is everything we do that can be directly observed, any action
that other people can observe or measure.
o Behavior consists of an organism's external reactions to its
environment
o Behavior is the actions that an organism uses to adjust to and live
within its environment.
o For instance, as children, we are taught that before crossing a street
it is important to find a crosswalk, stop, look both ways, wait for oncoming
traffic, and make sure the drivers see you and stop before crossing
o Behavior may be modified according to positive or negative reinforcements from the organism's environment or according to self-directed intentions.
Mental Process
o
Mental process are the thoughts, feelings,
and motives that each of us experiences privately but that cannot be observed
directly.
o
Mental function are terms often used
interchangeably for all the things that individuals can do with
their minds.
o
These
include perception, memory, thinking (such as ideation,
imagination, belief, reasoning, etc.), volition and emotion. Term
cognitive function is used instead
o
Although we cannot directly see thoughts
and feelings
o e.g. a baby’s feelings when its mother leaves the room, and a student’s memory of a motorcycle trip.
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