PSY101 Midterm Notes Set 3

Rana Abubakar Khan

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JOIN FB GROUP FOR VU HELP · PSY101 (Short Notes, Terms, MCQ’s) - Midterm · INTRODUCTION:

German philosopher and physiologist Wilhelm Wundt set the foundations of modern psychology in 1879, by establishing the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany.

“Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes …. Human or Animal”

Psychologists study animals’ behavior too; to better understand and predict human behavior, the study of animal behavior becomes essential at times, especially because some researches cannot be carried out with humans due to safety reasons or ethical issues

Main goals of psychology are:

a) Observation, b) Description,

c) Understanding,

d) Explanation,

e) Prediction, and

f) Control of human behavior and mental processes.

Psychology is a science that uses scientific method for gathering knowledge and information.

Scientific method is a systematic and organized series of steps that scientists adopt for exploring any phenomenon in order to obtain accurate and consistent results.

Steps involved in Scientific method: observation, description, control, and replication

“Psychology has a long past, but only a short history.”(Hermann Ebbinghaus, 1908)

Trephining was a procedure whereby a hole was drilled into the skull of a mental patient. This was done in order to let the evil spirits or demons escape from the sufferer’s body.

In 1590, Rudolf Goeckel used the term “psychology”.

This word is the combination of two Greek words “ psyche” and “ logos”, the former means the “ soul” and the later “ discursive knowledge”. Thus literally, psychology means the science of soul.

Aristotle gave a very important place to soul in human life. Life has no meaning without soul.

Psychology was also defined as the “science of mind”. Psychology has also been defined as the science of consciousness defined by Wilhelm Wundt

Modern physiologists and Watson, the founder of the behaviorist school of thought, defined psychology as a

science of behavior, both of animals and humans

The new scientific psychology is a fusion of two psychologies, i.e., philosopher’s psychology and the sensory psychology. So basically Psychology emerged from Philosophy

POPULAR AREAS OF PSYCHOLOGY:

Clinical Psychology

A branch of psychology concerned with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal behavior.

It is the oldest as well as the most well known branch of psychology.

Industrial / Organizational Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies the psychology in action at the workplace, including productivity, job satisfaction, and decision-making

Health Psychology

The branch of psychology that explores the relationship of psychological factors and physical illness or disease