Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many subfields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes. I contend that the failure to effectively define psychological science has been at the heart of the problem and that a precise definition will open the pathway for a. The word psychology derives from greek roots meaning study of the psyche, or soul. So, originally psychology means the study of soul or science of the soul. Aspects of the subject matter of psychology intext questions 1. Sports psychology is essentially the study of how the mind affects physical activity and athletic performance. Psychology is the science of mental activity of an organism guilford. Meaning in positive and existential psychology presents a broad overview of contemporary empirical research and theoretical work on the meaning purpose in life construct from two perspectives. The science that deals with mental processes and behavior. Psychology is defined as the science that deals with emotional and mental processes. So, think of psychologists as scientists who study behavior. The main unit of investigation is psychology is the individual.
Absolute threshold the minimum amount of stimulation needed for a person to detect the stimulus 50 percent of the time. Psychology dictionary definition psychology defined. Soul has been neither measured nor has been seen by anyone, so this meaning of psychology was rejected. The above definition is almost same to the previous definition but explains the subject matter of social psychology in a bit different way. The following are definitions of education psychology by well known psychologists. Educational psychology definition, scope and nature. Psychology definition of psychology by the free dictionary.
For example, in hisdictionary of psychology, reber 1995 wrote. Psychology definition of psychology by merriamwebster. Meaning in positive and existential psychology request pdf. Educational psychology definition of educational psychology. In this article, i am discussing all the important different fields of psychology and their definition in the previous article, i have discussed an introduction to psychology and history of psychology in which different people have defined psychology. Feb 08, 2020 uncountable the study of the human mind.
Psychologists seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, and all the variety of phenomena linked to those emergent properties. Psychology definition is the science of mind and behavior. Coomarsingh holds a masters degree in clinical psychology and is a former lecturer at the northern caribbean university in jamaica where she taught several undergraduate psychology courses, including introduction to psychology, physiological psychology and introduction to psychological testing. Psychology definition, the science of the mind or of mental states and processes. A definition delimits or describes the meaning of a concept or term by stating the essential properties of the entities or objects denoted by that concept or term. According to the american psychological association, sports psychology addresses the interactions between psychology and sport performance, including the psychological aspects of optimal athletic performance, the psychological care and wellbeing. Memory psychology definition of memory psychology by. Psychology is really a very new science, with most. Narrowing down to positive emotions, there are two popular ways of defining them that loosely correspond to the two camps noted above. The volumes contributors examine meaning along five dimensions the architecture of meaning, responding to uncertainty, meaning from retrospection, compensating for meaning violations, and restoring meaning.
Getting needed rest is difficult in part because school and work. Given that our counseling and therapy website is all about human behavior and by extension, psychology, we thought it would be helpful to provide 100 of the common psychology definitions used in the field of behavioral science. Psychology dictionary free online psychology dictionary. Human psychology definition of human psychology by the free. Do the question step as you come to each subheading in the chapter.
Philosophers like pluto, aristotle, and descartes interpreted psychology according to this concept. Define placebo and explain how placebos are used to prevent expectations from. Child psychology is the study of the mental and emotional development of children and is part of developmental psychology. Psychology is a multifaceted discipline and includes many subfields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behaviour and cognitive processes. Psychology dictionary terms with the letter h allpsych. Psychology is the science of human behaviour and experience cruze. It is both an applied and academic field, meaning that some concepts can be and have been used to solve practical problems in a physical environment applied while other concepts only exist in the realm of theory academic and contribute to the understanding of the phenomena. Reasoning is the word used to describe the mental recognition of cause and effect relationships, it may be the prediction of an event from an observed.
Reasoning is the term applied to highly purposeful, controlled and selective thinkinggates. Watson, are famous for seeing behavior as the be all and. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as feeling and thought. It often refers to the sensorybased feelings we get from experiences like eating good food, getting a massage, receiving a. Developmental psychology is the study of how people grow, change, and remain the same throughout their lifespan. The aim of this dictionary is to provide sensible and informative definitions of the most important and difficult words that a reader is likely to encounter in books and articles on psychology.
The study of the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to behavior. Define the concepts of brain plasticity, neurogenesis, and brain lateralization. The ability of the brain to retain and to use knowledge gained from past experience is essential to the process of learning. Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour, according to the american psychological association.
An outdated and mostly useless methodology which is entirely based on the mistaken belief that individuals chronic negative emotions are legitimate. The word or phrase to be defined is the definiendum plural. Although any definition of psychology is bound to be controversial, even among psychologists, the following renovated version of the oed definition comes as close to encapsulating the essence of psy chology as is possible in a few words. Since about 1920, most university psychologists have accepted watsons definition.
Meaning, definition and types psychology discussion. This is because the biggest changes to human beings occur during. A rule of thumb based on experience used to make decisions. Psychological definition of psychological by the free. Watson urged that psychology be defined as the scientific study of behavior. Educational psychology definition is psychology concerned with human maturation, school learning, teaching methods, guidance, and evaluation. It includes underlying mechanisms that involve the environment. Our psychology dictionary defines and provides examples for psychology related terms. I wrote this book to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual.
Happiness, as we described above, is a state characterized by feelings of contentment and satisfaction with ones life or current situation. Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. Social psychology glossary this glossary defines many of the key terms used in class lectures and assigned readings. In the past, developmental psychology was primarily used to understand the mental, emotional, and cognitive growth of children. Psychology meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. The science of psychology incorporates a multitude of disciplines and concepts, which explain and further study the mind in detail. A dictionary of psychology is an invaluable work of reference for students and teachers of psychology and related disciplines, professionals, and is ideally suited to anyone with an interest in the workings of the mind. Introspection was the first technique for studying the mind there are some terms related to psychology that are frequently. Psychology is the science of mental behavior and the human mind, and the professional application of such knowledge toward the greater good. The specific field in psychology concerned with psychology s impact on health, physical well being, and illness. 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. Meaning of psychology meaning, definition, nature, scope.
Psychology is the scientific investigation of how people behave, think, and feel. Psychology definition of psychology by medical dictionary. The discipline of psychology is broadly divisible into two parts. William james courtesy of the harvard university news service. Psychology, scientific discipline that studies mental states and processes and behaviour in humans and other animals. If we compare the simple, crude ways in which a child feels and behaves, with the complex modes of adult behaviour, his skills, habits, thought, sentiments and the like we will know. Psychology definitions can sometimes be hard to come by unless you purchase a book or visit a library. First of all, let us know, the meaning of psychology. Psychological investigations try to describe, predict, analyse, and create actionable outcomes that help people. Psychology definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Other terms have been taken from everyday language and used in a different context to describe psychological phenomena. Ithasnot,in angiers 2009 terms, conceptually formulated the precise meaning of a term that is clearly at the heart of its disci. Psychology definition, the question has taken birth for a number of reasons and especially that of the attitude of people. Explain the role of psychology as a means of promoting human welfare. Accommodation the process by which the shape of an eyes lens adjusts to focus light from objects. Educational psychology is that branch of psychology which deals with teaching and learning and also covers the entire range and behavior of the personality as related to education. Industrial organizational psychologists look at questions regarding things such as who to hire, how to define and measure successful job performance, how to. Psychology is a very vast field and is divided into various branches. Although considerations of personally constructed meaning have deep theoretical roots in psychology, one. Although any definition of psychology is bound to be controversial. Skinner, psychology deals with the responses to any and every kind of situation that life presents.
Psychological definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Psychology is essentially the study of the human mind and behavior. In this article, i am discussing all the important different fields of psychology and their definition in the previous article, i have discussed an introduction to psychology and history of psychology in which different people have defined psychology according. Psychology dictionary terms with the letter e allpsych. The word psychology was formed by combining the greek psyche meaning breath, principle of life, life, soul.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, according to the american psychological association. For example, wo look at a pan and recognize it as an object used for writing. We can define psychology generally as the scientific study of behavior and experience. Although the exact way in which the brain remembers is not completely understood. Psychology is the positive science of behaviour watson. Psychology terms and meanings glossary of psychology terms and definitions. A altruisma motive to increase anothers welfare without conscious regard for ones own selfinterest. Reasoning is a stepwise thinking with a purpose or goal in mind garrett. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and the reasons for peoples. Psychology meaning and definitions tamil dictionary. Psychology an introduction to psychology notes psychology secondary course 3 fig. The confusion inherent in the discipline becomes apparent when an attempt is made to precisely define the field.
Understand the differences between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and learn how they often work together to. Physics, chemistry, and astronomy, for example, have been around for thousands of. Glossary of psychology terms and definitions psychologenie. Colman is professor of psychology at the university of leicester and is a. From moral philosophy and existentialism to the clinical realm of psychotherapy, the psychology of meaning explores the multifaceted nature of this highly subjective construct. On the other hand, pleasure is a more visceral, inthemoment experience. Absolute refractory period the period during which a neuron lies dormant after an action potential has been completed. An introduction to mastering the world of psychology 3 step 2. There are many terms used in the area of psychology alone, that are explained throughout this text. As such, it is used to resolve personal and social problems and to promote optimal functioning. The earliest meaning of psychology was the science of the soul.
It includes underlying mechanisms that involve the environment, biology, and the mind. The psychology dictionary contains descriptions for common terms used in psychology. Psychology dictionary is americas most trusted source of psychology definitions online. Article pdf available in european journal of personality 31. Clinical psychology is concerned with diagnosing and treating disorders of the brain, emotional disturbances, and behavior problems. The meaning a psychologist derives from behavior is largely determined by his or her theoretical framework. Child psychology is the study of the mental and emotional development of. Actionable outcomes include therapy, learning design, altering. Availability heuristica cognitive rule, or mental shortcut, in which we judge how likely something is by how easy it is to think of cases. They have been defined as multicomponent response tendencies that last a short period of time fredrickson, 2001, aligning roughly with the second view, and as mental experiences that are both intense and pleasurable cabanac, 2002.
Educational psychology definition is psychology concerned with human maturation, school learning, teaching methods, guidance, and evaluation of aptitude and progress by standardized tests. Psychology is the study of the mind, how it works, and how it might affect behavior. The mind is studied from different angles, aspects, and facets in a systematic manner in this branch of science. The daytoday practice of psychology simply presumes they are true as a matter of practicality, and moves on.