Lecture Note: Week 1–2

Title: The Nature and Scope of Psychology

Introduction: Many people begin their study of psychology without a clear

understanding of what it truly entails. They may imagine scientists running rats
through mazes or assume the subject only deals with abnormal emotional
disturbances. However, psychology encompasses much more. It is a broad field
that helps us understand our own behaviour and our relationships with others.
Psychology is about everyday experiences—love, stress, memory, perception,
learning, emotion, and so much more. It uses scientific methods and critical
thinking to understand, predict, and control behaviour and mental processes.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this lecture, students should be able to:
1. Define psychology and explain its historical roots.
2. Describe the meaning of behaviour and mental processes.
3. Identify the goals of psychology.
4. Explain the importance of empirical evidence in psychology.
5. List and describe various psychological research specialties.
6. Differentiate psychology from other fields concerned with human behaviour.

Main Content:
1. Definition and Meaning of Psychology:
 Derived from the Greek words psyche (mind) and logos (study or discourse),
psychology was historically seen as the study of the mind.
 Modern Definition: Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and
mental processes.
 This includes observable actions (overt behaviour) and internal experiences
like thoughts and emotions (covert behaviour).
The term psychology derives from the Greek roots psyche, meaning “soul” or
“mind,” and logos, meaning “knowledge or study.” Psychology is literally the
study of the mind or soul, and people defined it that way until the early 1900s.
However, when did you last see or touch a “mind”? Around 1920, because the
mind can’t be studied directly, psychologists became disenchanted with the idea of
studying the mind. First, research deals with what we observe, and mind is
unobservable. Second, talking about “the mind” implies it is a thing or object.
Mental activity is a process. It is not like the river but like the flow of the river; not
like the automobile but like the movement of the automobile. Beginning in the
early 1900s, psychologists defined their field as the study of behaviour.
Psychology is now defined as the scientific study of behaviour and mental
processes.
What does behaviour refer to in the definition of psychology? Anything you do—
eating, sleeping, talking, or sneezing—is a behaviour. So are dreaming, gambling,
watching television, learning French, basket weaving, and reading this material.
Naturally, we are interested in overt behaviours (observable actions and
responses). But psychologists also study covert behaviours. These are hidden,
internal events, such as thinking and remembering (Leary, 2004).

2. Scope of Psychology: Psychology is both a science and a profession. As a

science, it involves research to generate new knowledge. As a profession, it applies
that knowledge to solve real-world problems in mental health, education, business,
and other areas. So, it is safe to think of Pure and Applied Psychology
3. The Goals of Psychology:
 Description: Observing and noting behaviour to understand what is
happening.
 Understanding: Explaining the causes of behaviour.
 Prediction: Anticipating how and when a behaviour will occur.
 Control: Modifying behaviour under certain conditions for positive
outcomes.
What do psychologists hope to achieve? In general, the goals of psychology as a
science are to describe, understand, predict, and control behaviour. Beyond that,
psychology’s ultimate goal is to benefit humanity (O’Neill, 2005). What do
psychology’s goals mean in practice? Imagine that we would like to answer
questions such as these: What happens when the right side of the brain is injured?
Is there more than one type of memory? How do hyperactive children interact with
their parents?

Description: The first goal for any scientist or psychologist is to describe or gather
information about the behaviour being studied and to present what is known.
Answering psychological questions requires a careful description of behaviour.
Description, or naming and classifying, is typically based on making a detailed
record of behavioural observations. But a description doesn’t explain anything,
does it? Right. Useful knowledge begins with accurate description, but descriptions
fail to answer the important “why” questions. Why do more women attempt
suicide, and why do more men complete it? Why are people more aggressive when
they are uncomfortable? Why are bystanders often unwilling to help in an
emergency?

Explanation: Psychologists are not content simply to state the facts. Rather, they
also seek to explain why people (or animals) behave as they do. Such explanations
can be called psychological principles—generally valid ideas about behaviour.
Psychologists propose these explanations as hypotheses. A hypothesis is an
educated guess about some phenomenon. It is a researcher’s prediction about what
the results of a study are expected to be. As research studies designed to test each
hypothesis are completed, more complex explanations called theories are
constructed. A theory is usually a complex explanation based on findings from a
large number of experimental studies. Theories change as new data improves our
understanding, and a good theory becomes the source of additional ideas for
experiments.
A number of theories taken together may validate or cause us to alter the principles
that help explain and predict observed behaviour.
We have met psychology’s second goal when we can explain an event. That is,
understanding usually means we can state the causes of a behaviour. Take this
“why” question as an example:
Research on “bystander apathy” reveals that people often fail to help when other
possible helpers are nearby. Why? Because a “diffusion of responsibility” occurs.
Basically, no one feels personally obligated to pitch in. As a result, the more
potential helpers there are, the less likely it is that anyone will help (Darley &
Latané, 1968). Now we can explain a perplexing problem.

Prediction The third goal of psychologists is to predict, as a result of accumulated

knowledge, what organisms will do and, in the case of humans, what they will
think or feel in various situations. By studying descriptive and theoretical accounts
of past behaviours, psychologists can predict future behaviours. Psychology’s third
goal, prediction, is the ability to forecast behaviour accurately.
Influence/Change/Control Finally, some psychologists seek to influence
behaviour in helpful ways. These psychologists are conducting studies with a long-
term goal of finding out more about human or animal behaviour. They are doing
basic science, or research. Other psychologists are more interested in discovering
ways to use what we already know about people to benefit others. They view
psychology as an applied science and are using psychological principles to solve
more immediate problems.
Psychologists who study the ability of infants to perceive visual patterns are doing
basic research. They may not be concerned with the implication their findings
might have on the design of a crib. Psychologists studying rapid eye movement in
sleep research are also involved in basic science.
If they discover that one individual has a sleep disturbance, they will try to
understand and explain the situation, but they may not try to correct it. That is a job
for applied scientists, such as clinical psychologists, industrial/organizational
psychologists, counselling psychologists, or engineering psychologists. An
example of a psychologist involved in applying psychological principles rather
than discovering them is a consultant to a
4. Behaviour and Mental Processes:
 Behaviour refers to all observable actions (e.g., walking, talking, eating).
 Mental Processes include internal activities like thinking, dreaming, and
remembering.
  Psychologists study both to understand how and why people behave the way
they do.
5. Empirical Evidence and Scientific Observation:
 Psychology relies on empirical evidence—data collected through direct
observation or experimentation.
 Scientific observation is systematic and intersubjective (can be verified by
multiple observers).
 This distinguishes psychology from commonsense beliefs.
6. Psychological Research and Specialties: Examples of psychological specialties
include:
 Personality Psychology: Studies traits and individual differences.
 Developmental Psychology: Focuses on human growth from infancy to old
age.
 Cognitive Psychology: Studies thinking, memory, and problem-solving.
 Biopsychology: Examines the biological bases of behaviour.
 Social Psychology: Investigates social interactions, attitudes, and group
behaviour.
 Comparative Psychology: Compares behaviours across species.
 Cultural Psychology: Examines how culture influences behaviour.
 Evolutionary Psychology: Studies behavioural adaptations over time.
 Forensic Psychology: Applies psychological principles in legal contexts.
7. Psychology vs Other Fields:
 Unlike history, law, or philosophy, psychology relies on the scientific
method to explore human behaviour.
 While all these fields deal with people, psychology’s strength lies in its use
of systematic, empirical investigation.
8. The Relevance of Psychology to Daily Life:
  Psychology applies to education, workplace performance, mental health,
relationships, marketing, and even spiritual growth.
 Understanding human behaviour helps in conflict resolution, leadership,
motivation, and personal development.

Summary: Psychology is a multifaceted field that seeks to understand behaviour

and mental processes through scientific methods. It touches every aspect of life and
has numerous branches that explore different facets of human and animal
behaviour. The core goals of psychology—description, understanding, prediction,
and control—guide both research and application, making it a vital discipline in
understanding and improving human experience.

Self-Assessment Questions:
1. Define psychology in your own words.
2. What are the main goals of psychology? Briefly explain each.
3. Differentiate between overt and covert behaviour.
4. Why is empirical evidence important in psychology?
5. List and briefly explain any five areas of psychological research.
6. How is psychology different from other disciplines that study human
behaviour?
7. Identify and explain any three ways psychology applies to everyday life.

Additional Suggestions for Teaching:

 Incorporate a class discussion on the difference between common sense and
scientific knowledge.
 Show a short video clip that illustrates how psychologists study behaviour
(e.g., observational research).
 Assign students to interview a psychologist or read a biography of a famous
psychologist and report on their findings.
Suggested Readings:
 Feldman, R. S. (2010). Understanding Psychology.
 Stanovich, K. E. (2010). How to Think Straight About Psychology.
 Jackson, C. (2008). Psychological Science.