Defining psychology

Lecture pyu414: what is psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it dictates and
influences our behaviour, from communication and memory to thoughts and
emotions. It’s about understanding what makes a person tick and address
many of societies issues.
Psychologists are involved in studying and understanding mental processes,
brain function and behaviour. The field of psychology has string connections to
medical sciences, social sciences and education.

What does scientific mean?

 It determines the criteria by which knowledge can be acquired and
evaluated.
 Scientific knowledge is regarded as being superior to other sources of
knowledge

Induction vs deduction

Induction deduction
The process of deriving general truth The process of using deduction to make
from observing facts. specific predictions on the basis of
general principles
First there is data First, we develop theories to explain
observation
Then conclusion is drawn from the data Then we use this theory to make specific
claims that we ca test
These conclusions are then used to Finally, we test our predictions
develop theories




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