Another important aspect of research is the process of scientific theory construction and testing. Scientific theory construction and testing is an intricate and important part of psychology research. The first step is to propose a theory, which is a set of interrelated ideas that explain a set of observations (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, & Zechmeister,
Because of science one now can measure these processes and quantify them so that cognitive psychologist may use behavioral observation to measure damage, mental processes and mental states. Because of cognitive science, cognitive psychologist are able to see just what is going on within a person’s brain and make the most educated guess on how he or she should be treated because of their behavior (Van Wagner, 2009). Behavior of individuals can be observed and watched, measured and tested, and a conclusion can be made from behavior on whether or not cognitive psychology is the best treatment for the individual. Even though cognitive psychology arose in response to behaviorism, this does not mean that behavior is not important for the
Defining Social Psychology Brandi K. Keller PSY/400 March 20, 2013 Dr. Timothy Doty Defining Social Psychology Throughout the years each field of science and each discipline relating to psychology has had to fight to prove its point and its relevance to the field; therefore, making each field of psychology worthy of its place within the science and academic communities. One of the many behaviors observed during this trial has been the way people think, influence, and relate to others otherwise known as social psychology. Friends, family, and collogues influence each other, which can be either a positive or a negative influence. How each person thinks and relates to these influences is what determines if the influence will be a positive
Due to individual beliefs, there are three different approaches and treatments that Jake’s psychologist could recommend. If the psychologist uses a humanistic approach, which focuses on self-actualization and free will, he or she might suggest that Jake is freaking himself out. He might say that Jake has low self-confidence and is not studying enough. As treatment, Jake should study more and take practice tests after studying to boast his self-esteem and realize that he can understand and repeat the information he has learned. On the other hand, if a psychologist would take a behavioral approach, which focuses on behavioral responses, followed by enjoyable consequences being enforced or strengthened.
Plato was the one that proposed that it was the brain that was indeed the organ of all reasoning. Not everyone was in agreement. Rene Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, and G. W. Leibniz were all very important in the development of modern psychology and all had their own mind body theories that have proved to be of the upmost importance in biopsychology. The relationship between biological psychology and other fields in psychology and neuroscience can be explained, by saying that humans may serve as experimental subjects in behavioral neuroscience. But a great deal of the experimental text in behavioral neuroscience originates from the study of animals not humans.
Our environment shapes how our genes affect us though. Genes work in mysterious ways and we may not enjoy what the give to us. Good or bad, genes are what turn on nurture so our environment can shape who we are, how we behave, and possibly who we love. Ridley certainly backs his theories with much evidence and this book strongly displays his opinion of how nature brings about nurture. From the text, I gathered that Ridley wrote The Agile Gene from a biological perspective of psychology.
Every clinician must decide which theory best aligns with his or her own views and apply as necessary. In many cases, a combination of several theories offers the best explanation. Whether one believes that nature has more influence on personality and behavior or believes nurture offers the best explanation, the debate will continue. Dave Pelzer offers one example of an individual who possessed the inner strength to overcome his early, horrific, and violent exposure to life. By studying experiences such as his, and applying theory, clinicians answer many questions, yet in doing so raises more.
Research, Statistics and Psychology Eric Ransome January 13, 2014 PSY/315 Racheal Reavy Research, Statistics and Psychology Research Statistics is one method that researchers use to tells the story of studies begin conducted. Research is the pursuit of knowledge, in the field of psychology statistics is used to understand the data collected from research. In psychology, research has a major role and it is statistics that helps to explain the information collected from research. The experimental or scientific study which gathers information on a subject is how research is defined. In psychology there are two essential elements in understanding theories and human behavior that is research and statistics, and how do we make sense of this information and the data collected.
Foundations of Psychology PSY/ 300 9/15/2014 In today’s society, there are many foundations of psychology. The major schools of psychology are Functionalism, structuralism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, humanistic, and cognitive Psychology. In this paper, I will examine the many different factors that help play crucial roles in the lives of human beings through culture and biology. The first known school of thought in psychology is structuralism. According to our text, psychology sixth addition Titchener (1867-1927) describes structuralism as an attempt to use introspection as a method for uncovering the basin elements of consciousness and the way they combine with each other into ideas (Kawaiski
PSY 223 Assignment 1 Theories Four major theories of human development are described, compared, and evaluated in Chapter 1. These are the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson; the behaviorism of Pavlov and Skinner and the social learning theory of Bandura; Piaget’s cognitive theory; and systems theories, including Bronfenbrenner’s ecological-systems approach and the dynamic-systems theory. Although each theories is too restricted to account solely for the tremendous diversity in human development, each has made an important contribution to developmental psychology. To help clarify your understanding of the major developmental theories, this exercise asks you to focus on the similar, contradictory, and complementary aspects of the five theories. · Which of the major developmental theories are stage theories?