Psychologists at Work Module 1

Module 1 Psychologists at Work LEARNING OUTCOMES LO 1-1 What is the science of psychology? LO 1-2 What are the major specialties in the field of psychology? LO 1-3 Where do psychologists work? Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The simplicity of this definition is in some ways deceiving, concealing ongoing debates about how broad the scope of psychology should be. Should psychologists limit themselves to the study of outward, observable behavior? Is it possible to scientifically study thinking? Should the field encompass the study of such diverse topics as physical and mental health, perception, dreaming, and motivation? Is it appropriate to focus solely on human behavior, or should the behavior of other species be included? Most psychologists would argue that the field should be receptive to a variety of viewpoints and approaches. Consequently, the phrase behavior and mental processes in the definition of psychology must be understood to mean many things: It encompasses not just what people do but also their thoughts, emotions, perceptions, reasoning processes, memories, and even the biological activities that maintain bodily functioning. Psychologists try to describe, predict, and explain human behavior and mental processes, as well as help to change and improve the lives of people and the world in which they live. They use scientific methods to find answers that are far more valid and legitimate than those resulting from intuition and speculation, which are often inaccurate (see Figure 1). FIGURE 1 The scientific method is the basis of all psychological research and is used to find valid answers. Test your knowledge of psychology by answering these questions. Source: Adapted from Lamal, P. A. (1979). College students’ common beliefs about psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 6, 155–158. The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree As the study of psychology has grown, it has given rise to a number of subfields (described in Figure 2). The subfields of psychology can be likened to an extended family, with assorted nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, and cousins who, although they may not interact on a day-to-day basis, are related to one another because they share a common goal: understanding behavior. One way to identify the key subfields is to look at some of the basic questions about behavior that they address. FIGURE 2 The major subfields of psychology. Photos: (Top) ©Spencer Grant/Science Source; (Middle) ©Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock; (Bottom) ©Don Hammond/DesignPics WHAT ARE THE BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF BEHAVIOR? In the most fundamental sense, people are biological organisms. Behavioral neuroscience is the subfield of psychology that focuses on how the brain and the nervous system, as well as other biological aspects of the body, determine behavior. Study Alert The different subfields of psychology allow psychologists to explain the same behavior in multiple ways. Review Figure 2 for a summary of the subfields. Thus, neuroscientists consider how our body influences our behavior. For example, they may examine the link between specific sites in the brain and the muscular tremors of people affected by Parkinson’s disease or attempt to determine how our emotions are related to physical sensations. HOW DO PEOPLE SENSE, PERCEIVE, LEARN, AND THINK ABOUT THE WORLD? If you have ever wondered why you are susceptible to optical illusions, how your body registers pain, or how to make the most of your study time, an experimental psychologist can answer your questions. Experimental psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world. (The term experimental psychologist is somewhat misleading: Psychologists in every specialty area use experimental techniques.) PsychTech We now know we cannot text and drive at the same time. Cognitive psychologists have demonstrated that it is impossible to do both without a serious and potentially deadly decline in driving ability. Several subspecialties of experimental psychology have become specialties in their own right. One is cognitive psychology, which focuses on higher mental processes, including thinking, memory, reasoning, problem solving, judging, decision making, and language.