ESB2163 : PSYCHOSOCIOLOGY FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES

Topic 1:Introduction to Psychology and Sociology

Definition of Psychology
Psychology is the systematic study of human and animal behavior like
learning, perception, intelligence, memory, and personality.
It is the study of how humans behave as they relate to their environment.
Psychology is also the study of how humans learn or adapt to their
environment.
Psychology studies
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Sub-disciplines of Psychology
Abnormal Psychology

Environmental Psychology

Applied Psychology

Industrial Psychology

Clinical Psychology

Psycholinguistics

Comparative Psychology

Physiological and
neurophysiology

Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Differential Psychology
Educational Psychology

Psychometrics
Social psychology
Psychiatry

Abnormal Psychology-The branch of psychology that studies unusual

patterns of behavior, emotion and thought, which may or may not be
understood as precipitating a mental disorder.
Applied Psychology -the use of psychological principles and theories to
overcome problems in other areas, such as mental health, business
management, education, health, product design, ergonomics, and law.
Applied psychology includes the areas of clinical psychology, industrial and
organizational psychology, occupational health psychology, human factors,
forensic psychology, engineering psychology, as well as many other areas
such as school psychology, sports psychology and community psychology
Clinical Psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical
knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving
psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective
well-being and personal development.

 Clinical psychologists are now considered experts in providing

psychotherapy, and generally train within four primary theoretical
orientationspsychodynamic, humanistic, behavior therapy/cognitive
behavioral, and systems or family therapy.
Comparative Psychology refers to the study of
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Cognitive Psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal
mental processes. It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think,
speak, and solve problems.
Developmental Psychology also known as ______________________, is the
scientific study of
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Differential Psychology branch of psychology that deals with individual and
group differences in behaviour. Charles Darwins studies of the survival
capabilities of different species and Sir Francis Galtons researches on
individual visual and auditory skills, as well as more recent experiments,
have shown that both individual and group differences are quantitative
rather than qualitative.
Educational Psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational
settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of
teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations.
Educational psychology is concerned with how students learn and develop,
often focusing on subgroups such as gifted children and those subject to
specific disabilities.
Environmental Psychologyis an interdisciplinary field focused on the
interplay between humans and their surroundings. The field defines the
term environment broadly, encompassing natural environments, social
settings, built environments, learning environments, and informational
environments. Since its conception, the field has been committed to the
development of a discipline that is both value oriented and problem
oriented, prioritizing research aiming at solving complex environmental
problems in the pursuit of individual well-being within a larger society.
Industrial Psychology (also known as IO psychology, industrial
organizational psychology, work psychology, organizational psychology,
work and organizational psychology, industrial psychology, occupational
psychology, personnel psychology or talent assessment) applies
psychology to organizations and workplaces. These organizations and
workplaces include for-profit businesses, non-profits, government agencies,
colleges, universities, and graduate and professional school programs.

 Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the

psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire,
use, comprehend and produce language. Modern research makes use of
biology, neuroscience, cognitive science, linguistics, and information
theory to study how the brain processes language.
Physiological and neuropsychology studies the structure and function of
the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The
term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and
animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from
individual cells (or groups of cells) in higher primates (including some
studies of human patients).[1] It is scientific in its approach and shares an
information processing view of the mind with cognitive psychology and
cognitive science.
Psychometrics is the field of study concerned with the theory and
technique of educational measurement and psychological measurement,
which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, and
personality traits. The field is primarily concerned with the construction
and validation of measurement instruments, such as questionnaires, tests,
and personality assessments.
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people's thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence
of others.[1] By this definition, scientific refers to the empirical method of
investigation. The terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors include all of the
psychological variables that are measurable in a human being.
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of
mental disorderswhich include various affective, behavioural, cognitive
and perceptual disorders. The term was first coined by the German
physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808. It literally means the 'medical
treatment of the mind' (psych-: mind; -iatry: medical treatment; from
Greek itrikos: medical, isthai: to heal). A medical doctor specializing in
psychiatry is a psychiatrist.
Nature of the work
___________________ study human behavior and metal processes to
understand, explain, and change people's behavior.
Applied psychologists counsel and conduct training, and apply
treatments to a wide variety of conditions.
Clinical psychologists work in individual or group practice in clinics or
hospitals. They assess and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral
disorders, including substance abuse.
Cognitive psychologists deal with the brain's role in memory, thinking,
and perception.

 Counseling psychologists help people deal with the problems in

everyday living. They help people to accommodate to change or change
life style.
Developmental psychologists study the patterns and causes of
behavioral change from infancy to adulthood and to death.
Educational psychologists evaluate student and teacher problems and
seek solutions to enhance the learning experience.
Engineering psychologists focus on the interaction (interface) between
people and machines to discover and share how people work best with
machines.
Experimental psychologists study the behavior process in humans and
animals. They are particularly interested in relationships of behavior to
conditions that can be manipulated in the laboratory.
Forensic psychologists apply psychology to legal issues and are often
called upon to serve as expert witnesses, especially in dealing with issues
related to an insanity defense.
Geropsychologists study a variety of behavioral problems associated
with aging.
Industrial and organizational psychologists apply psychology to
management and marketing problems.
Neuropsychologists explore relationships between brain systems and
behavior. Stroke and head injury cases are of particular interest.
Quantitative and measurement psychologists create and evaluate
the various methods and techniques for acquiring, analyzing and
interpreting psychological data.
Rehabilitation psychologists work with stroke and accident victims, the
mentally retarded and those with developmental disabilities.
School psychologists are normally involved in professional rather than
scientific work. The help students, parents, teachers, and administrators to
resolve learning and behavior problems.
Social psychologists examine personal interaction, including group
behavior, leadership, attitudes, and interpersonal perception.
Sports psychologists help athletes focus on competitive goals, become
more motivated, and deal with anxiety,and failure.
Definition of Sociology

Sociology is the study of

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The American Sociological Association (2006) describes sociology as the
study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences
of human behavior.
Benefits of Studying Sociology

assists one in recognizing trends and patterns in society.

allows the development of critical thinking skills.
encourages good research skills in data collection
instructs in creating concise reports and essays.
develops planning and organizational skills.
augments oral presentation skills and interpersonal communications.
enhances management skills and grant writing ability.

Social Psychology
Social psychology studies how individuals relate to the societies they live
in, particularly insofar as those relations are mediated by face-to-face
interaction.
Children first learn languages, moralities, and positions in class structures,
not by encountering abstract entities labelled 'institutions' or 'social
structures' but primarily through everyday interaction with others.
socialization is the process by which children and others adopt the
behavior patterns of the culture that surrounds them.