...The Four Goals of Psychology The Four Goals of Psychology Ariel Mendoza Grand Canyon University: General Psychology January 18th, 2012 Psychology is the study of human behavior and mental processes, not only what we do but why. Our thoughts, memories, emotions, perceptions, all fall under this category. It is the study of what makes us, us. There are ultimately four goals in psychology. Describe, explain, predict, and control. Describe, is when you observe. You look, watch, and listen so that you are able to identify and classify mental processes and behaviors as precise as possible. Ivan Pavlov was a physiologist studying digestive processes on his dogs when he came up with the concept of classical conditioning. Using the first goal of psychology, he observed that when his assistants dressed in white lab coats had come to bring edible and non-edible items for the canines, their mouths would begin to salivate. He began to explain or propose reasons for this behavior that the canines’ responses were learned actions. That in the process of trying to learn about their digestive systems by giving them food, he learned they had become accustomed to eating whenever the humans with white lab coats were nearby. Salivating to the expectation of food is a conditioned reflex. It was after what he explained that he could be able to predict what would happen if he changed their introduction to the food being presented. Pavlov wanted to change the conditioned...
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...Four Goals The Four Goals of Psychology 1.) Circle or highlight one of the following problems: Stress, Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Eating Disorder, Anger and Aggression, or Addiction 2.) Write the problem that you selected in each blank below. For each of the four goals, write information as it applies to the problem you selected. Your responses should be thorough (25-75 words for each response). You may need to conduct some research on the problem you selected to ensure accuracy in your responses. Cite a minimum of two sources. * Describe depression: Depression is a mental disorder that can take a person from emotional balance for a long time and significantly degrade the quality of life (labor activity, personal relationships and so on). * Predict situations that lead to depression occurring: One of the main factors leading to depression is stress. For example, separation or the death of close person, illness, hard work, immigration, financial problems, education, health problems or family. Another important factor is heredity. It is believed that the more relatives suffered from depression in one family, then higher the risk of descendants also to suffering from depression. (John M. Grohol, Psy.D.) * Explain why depression occurs: Depression develops as a result of the interaction of many factors. They can be divided into biological (health and heredity of person), psychological (especially education and thinking)...
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...Four Goals The Four Goals of Psychology 1.) Circle or highlight one of the following problems: Stress, Depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Eating Disorder, Anger and Aggression, or Addiction 2.) Write the problem that you selected in each blank below. For each of the four goals, write information as it applies to the problem you selected. Your responses should be thorough (25-75 words for each response). You may need to conduct some research on the problem you selected to ensure accuracy in your responses. Cite a minimum of two sources. * Describe depression: Depression is a mental disorder that can take a person from emotional balance for a long time and significantly degrade the quality of life (labor activity, personal relationships and so on). * Predict situations that lead to depression occurring: One of the main factors leading to depression is stress. For example, separation or the death of close person, illness, hard work, immigration, financial problems, education, health problems or family. Another important factor is heredity. It is believed that the more relatives suffered from depression in one family, then higher the risk of descendants also to suffering from depression. (John M. Grohol, Psy.D.) * Explain why depression occurs: Depression develops as a result of the interaction of many factors. They can be divided into biological (health and heredity of person), psychological (especially education and thinking)...
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...What Is Psychology? When you hear the word psychology, what comes to mind? While psychology is a popular subject, a lot of people are not aware of the many elements of this broad and fascinating subject. Learn about the early history of psychology, the official beginning of psychology and more about psychology today. What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? * Question: What Are the Four Major Goals of Psychology? Answer: Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. While you might understand what psychology is, many people are not quite so certain about what psychology does. What purpose does psychology serve? What are its goals? The four key goals of psychology are: To Describe One of the first goals of psychology is simply to describe behavior. Through describing the behavior of humans and other animals, we are better able to understand it and gain a better perspective on what is considered normal and abnormal. Psychology researchers utilize a range of research methods to help describe behavior including naturalistic observation, case studies, correlational studies, surveys, and self-report inventories. To Explain As you might imagine, psychologists are also interested in explaining behavior in addition to merely describing it. Why do people do the things they do? What factors contribute to development, personality, social behavior, and mental health problems? Throughout psychology's history, many different theories have emerged to help explain...
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...Social psychology studies elements of life situations. Social psychology dives deep into how people analysis and influence one another. Social psychology is a study concerning why a person thinks about, relates to, and influences others. Social psychology consists of the study of learning how people see themselves and others. Social psychology studies people’s beliefs, attitudes, thought process, and judgment making. Social psychology influences how genetic factors and society contribute to who people become, and how he or she interacts with each other. Social psychology researches how people influence people and how he or she are influenced by others. Social psychology examines the ways people cope, such as aggression, persuasion, empathy, and compassion (Crozier, 2000). Crozier, Ivan. (2000, August). Social Psychology. Social Studies of Science, 30(4). According to Fiske (2010), “People influence people.” Social psychology offers an understanding of how people can influence the behavior of other people. Social psychology tries to offer information how the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are changed by imagined or actual attendance of other people (Fiske, 2010). Social psychology is not only about the behavior of people, such as performing when asked. Social psychology also covers how a person may or may not be influenced by a group if the group goes against his or her best judgment (Fiske, 2010). An example of a group influencing a person to go against his or her...
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...Psychology Essay Psychology has five distinctive perspectives from which psychologists study. Although these perspectives are all based off of the four goals of psychology as a whole, they each posses many differences. The neuroscience perspective focuses on how humans and animals function biologically. Scientists who study this contribute to two of psychology’s four goals, describing and explaining. This view describes how animals and humans operate day to day, as well as explains how and why they do so. The psychodynamic outlook is based on the view that behavior is motivated by unconscious inner forces over which the individual has little control. One of the most famous psychologists of all time, Sigmund Freud, came up with this perspective, arguing that things such as dreams or word slips indicate our true feelings and thoughts. This perspective also falls under the goal of explanation, as psychologists use the unconscious activity to explain such things. Behavioral psychologists believe that the main focus of study should be centered on observable behavior that can be measured impartially, rather than guessing the inner workings of the subconscious. By doing so, they can then predict and influence an individual or animal, thus contributing to two of the four goals. The cognitive view focuses primarily on how people think, understand, and know about the world around them. This view describes and explains how and why people observe their surrounding world,...
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...Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology Paper Yekaterina Tarkovsky PSY/450 Diversity and Cultural Factors in Psychology Stephen Northam / Professor November 23, 2015 The author of this paper would like to share the results of the study performed on the effects of cognitive appraisals of communication competence in conflict interactions. This study involves both Chinese and Western cultures. The researchers were investigating how differently people from both of these cultures perceive competence, appropriateness, and effectiveness of another party’s communication during conflict. At first, there was a pilot study which had thirty employees in Singapore. They were examining appraisals of communication competence in recalled intercultural conflict incidents. The competence of others was judged by western expatriates. They were determining whether the style of communication itself was direct as well as engaged. This was deemed to be judgements of effectiveness. The competence on interactional skills as well as knowledge on culture was judged by host-nationals. This was deemed to be judgments of appropriateness. The quasi-experimental study followed the pilot study. In this study, two parties comprising of university students. One party had one hundred twenty eight Australian students and the other one had on hundred eight Chinese students. The results of this study had showed that students from Australia discriminated between four different types of conflict styles more...
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...Goals and Perspectives of Psychology By: Yesenia Hodges The three different perspectives on psychology I've selected are behavioral, humanistic, and evolutionary. Behaviorism is the study of behaviors that can be seen or measured. It is a how psychologist can measure the relationship between consequences and behavior itself. In the example used an animal was used to measure the change in behavior depending on if it was a reward or punishment. In humanistic, which is the focus on the positive and growth aspects of human nature. It is know for having lack of control that people have over their own lives. Last of all is evolutionary, this is how humans adapt traits and characteristic that have evolved through natural selection. This theory was also based off of the Charles Darwin theory of evolution and it's principles of natural selection. The goals of psychology are applicable in life because goal one is used to help researchers or psychologist describe what I'd being observed. This can be used to conduct more assessments later on and can be used in any publications to describe what went on through the observation. Goal two is used to explain, which is to organize and understand observations of behaviors. In the example listed the psychologist noticed a change in the miners. So, in order to figure out what caused the change the psychologist devolved an explanation for their findings. Predict is the third goal which is to predict behaviors or outcomes. Psychologist...
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...Would the world be a better place if individuals could work together in a group and be more understanding of the other? Why and how do individuals behave in social settings and the importance of social interaction for individuals? These are some of the questions that come in mind when talking about social psychology. To get a better understand the field of social psychology this paper will focus on defining social psychology, the four key characteristics of social psychology, the concept of situationism and the role it plays in social psychology, and the five core social motives and their affect on the field of social psychology. Social Psychology Social psychology is defined as the “scientific field that seeks to understand the nature and causes of individual in social situations” (Baron, Byrne & Suls, 1989 p. 6). The classic definition that dates back to Gordon Allport describes social psychology as an attempt to understand how individuals are influenced by the presence of other human beings. According to Fiske (2010) Social psychology is the scientific attempt to explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other human beings, (p.2). Individuals have different reactions when exposed to social events and having to interact with other people. These changes in behavior, thoughts and feelings contribute to certain areas of the individuals’ personality as well as upbringing. Social psychologists...
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...the holidays we did for the first 8 years of my life. It was hard finding a healthy balance. This all helped me to better understand culture in general. But, what is culture? More importantly what is its relationship to psychology? Culture is defined as a group of characteristics, behaviors, attitudes, values and customs that are particular to a group of people. “Behaviors must be judged according to cultural rules and ideologies or the judgment has no basis in the reality embraced by the culture” (Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski, 1991). Cultural Psychology deals with specific location, perceptive and beliefs of a culture that one has been raised in or is accustomed to. Cultural psychology looks at how factors of culture influence a person’s behavior. Cross Cultural Psychology, according to ‘Introduction to cross-cultural psychology’, “is the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes, including both their variability and invariance, under diverse cultural conditions.” (Alder & Gielen, 2001) Cross-Cultural psychology studies the “links between cultural norms and behaviors and the ways in which particular human activities are influenced by different, sometimes dissimilar social and cultural forces.” (Shiraev & Levy, 2010) Cultural Psychology looks into...
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...Social Psychology Psych/555 April 8, 2013 Dr. Anthony Social Psychology Human social behavior has been studied for the last 100 years, giving social scientists insight into the influence of thought on behavior. In this endeavor, scientists have also provided theories on the human need to obtain and maintain close attachments as well as the influence of human interaction. The development of social psychology as a discipline has provided insight into the precarious nature of human behavior and social interaction. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the conceptual foundations of social psychology. Within this analysis will be the definition of social psychology, an analysis of its four key characteristics, an explanation of the concept of situationism, and identification of the five core social motives and how these concepts affect the field of social psychology. Social Psychology Social psychology can be defined as the study of how an individual’s situations influence his or her behavior, emotions, thoughts, etc., with particular focus on how individuals perceive as well as affect on another (Myers, 2008). Furthermore, social psychology primarily focuses on social relations, social influence, and social thinking. According to Myers (2008), social relations refers to certain attributes such as aggression, helping others, prejudice, and attraction and intimacy. Social influence comprises factors such as pressure to conform, biology and culture, groups of people, and...
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... | | |Positive Psychology | Copyright © 2012, 2009. 2007 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description How much control does a person have over his or her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? What does it mean to be “free”? PSY/220 offers students a contemporary and relevant approach to the study of psychology and the opportunity to learn more about themselves in the process. In this course, students evaluate, understand, and build on their psychological strengths and those of others. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Baumgardner, S. R. and Crothers, M. .K. (2009). Positive psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. All electronic materials are available...
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... The psychologistSigmund Freud (1856–1939) developed “psychodynamics” to describe the processes of the mind as flows ofpsychological energy (Libido) in an organically complex brain.[2] The theory supporting psychodynamic therapy originated by the psychoanalytic theory. There are four major schools of psychoanalytic theory, each of which has influenced psychodynamic therapy. The four schools are: Freudian, Ego Psychology, Object Relations, and Self Psychology. Psychodynamic theory is also known as insight-oriented which focuses on the unconscious processes which are manifested and show up in a person’s behaviors. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are a client’s self-awareness and understanding of the influence on past on present behavior. Cognitive The term cognitive psychology came into use with the publication of the bookCognitive Psychology by Ulric Neisser in 1967. Cognitive Psychology revolves around the notion that if we want to know what makes people tick then the way to do it is to figure out what processes are actually going on in their minds. Cognition literally means “knowing”. In other words, psychologists from this approach study cognition which is ‘the mental act or process by which knowledge is acquired.’ Cognitive psychology became of great importance in the mid-1950s. Several factors were important in this: - o Dissatisfaction with the behaviourist approach in its simple emphasis on external behaviour rather than internal processes o The development of better experimental methods ...
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...situation presented in the case study by using the four goals of psychology. psychologists have four basic goals: to describe, explain, predict, and change behavior and mental processes Description Description tells “what” occurred. In some studies, psychologists attempt to describe , or name and classify, particular behaviors by making careful scientific observations. Description is usually the first step in understanding behavior. For exam- ple, if someone says, “Boys are more aggressive than girls,” what does that mean? The speaker’s definition of aggression may differ from yours. Science requires specificity. 2. Choose three of the modern perspectives of psychology and address how each would study the behaviors found in the case study. Submit your completed assignment to the drop box below. Please check the Course Calendar for specific due dates. Save your assignment as a Microsoft Word document. (Mac users, please remember to append the ".docx" extension to the filename.) The name of the file should be your first initial and last name, followed by an underscore and the name of the assignment, and an underscore and the date. An example is shown below: Jstudent_exampleproblem_101504 Jane was a young girl who is unaware that her father actions where wrong. Jane’s father caused her to believe that what he’s done can be done by any man. Jane’s Case Study has, the four goals of psychology, and modern perspectives of psychology. A Case Study: Jane Describe...
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...PSY 102 GRAND CANYON ENTIRE COURSE To purchase this tutorial visit here: http://wiseamerican.us/product/psy-102-grand-canyon-entire-course/ contact us at: SUPPORT@WISEAMERICAN.US GRAND CANYON PSY 102 ENTIRE COURSE WEEK 1 DQ 1: Define psychology. How did psychology come into existence? From your readings, what are some of the contributions that psychology has produced for humanity? DQ 2: What is the relationship between the brain and behavior? What are some examples that might illustrate this? Week 1 Assignment Details: In chapter 1, your text describes what psychology is. Lecture 1 discusses four goals of psychology. Write an essay of 350-500 words that addresses the following: 1. Describe how the current perspectives, as discussed in chapter 1 of the text, help accomplish each of the four goals of psychology. 2. What particular issues in psychology, as discussed in chapter 1, are of personal interest to you? 3. How will the study of psychology enhance your life and make you a better person? 4. Provide specific examples to support your position. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the GCU Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment. Week 2 DQ...
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