The Nature and Scope of Psychology

Notes 1: Introduction Psychology can be described through numerous phrases, and can branch out to different to different professions because of it. Psychology can be clarified as the study of human behaviour which is both concerned with the mind, brain, personality traits and much more. But such a definition can cover it broadly and universally as each one may cover only one sector of psychology.    Definitions: Science: The field of study concerned with discovering and describing the world around us by observing and experimenting. Behaviour: The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others, or the way in which an animal or person behaves in a response to a particular situation of stimulus.  Precepts: A general rule that helps you decide on you should behave particular circumstances . Subjective: A person's judgement influenced by or based personal beliefs or feelings, rather than based on facts. Objective: A person's judgement not influenced by  personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts. Positivism: A philosophical doctrine describing scientific knowledge s limited to observed fact and experience. Manifest: Clear to the eye/mind. Ethical: Relating to beliefs about what is morally right or wrong. Cognitive: Of, relating , or involving conscious mental activities (thinking, understanding, learning, remembering, etc)   Psychologists study: Experience:  To study behaviour, we need to hear and be informed of one's subjective behaviour, and we can do this through questionnaires and interviews. Experience gives psychologists the basis of the common description in regards to a mannerism.  Human and Animal Behaviour: It known that not all can be experimented on by the human for ethical reasons, which is why we implore such examinations on animals. We can use their observations as a informant to how humans might behave.  Psychology as a Science: Examining behaviours through a objective approach, through the observations of the individual, and we learn about how human behaviour works abstractly through science. But it is however acknowledged that behaviour is a subjective experience. 

Note 2: Nature of Psychology The image of a psychologist is most assumed to be a person on an armchair, as they ask questions towards their client. And yes, this an accurate assumption for the most part, but there is much more than what can meet the eye. But it is where observing human behaviour starts.  Humans act in a certain stimulus according to the situations that could occur, and precept is structured in them each time, but some situations that have common sense are the "common" reaction and response.  Definitions:  Bystander Apathy: Tendency of people in social situations not to help strangers in an emergency , as responsibility perceived as not belonging to one individual (>bystanders = >apathy). Apathy: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, concern. Hypothesis: An idea/explanation that you can test through study and experimentation. Confederate: A person one works with, especially something secret/illegal; an accomplice.