Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behaviour. It examines mental processes through evidence from observed behaviour, biological measurements and people's reports of their experiences. The field connects questions about individuals with the study of their biological and social surroundings.[1]
Psychologists conduct research and apply its findings in settings such as schools, workplaces and clinical practice. Scientific explanations draw on observation and testing rather than intuition alone. Behaviour often has several interacting influences, and findings about groups do not necessarily predict what a particular individual will do.[2]
Scope
Biological psychology examines relationships between behaviour and the body's biological processes, including the nervous system. Cognitive psychology studies processes such as attention, memory, language and problem solving. Developmental psychology examines changes across the lifespan, while social psychology studies how people affect one another's thoughts and actions.[3]
These perspectives can address the same question at different levels. An explanation may concern biological processes, the characteristics of an individual, or the influence of social groups and culture. No single level necessarily accounts for the whole phenomenon.[2]
Historical development
Modern experimental psychology developed from questions in philosophy and physiology. Nineteenth-century work in psychophysics investigated relationships between physical stimuli and perception. Wilhelm Wundt's laboratory teaching at Leipzig in 1879 became a conventional landmark in the establishment of psychology as an experimental discipline.[4]
In the United States, behaviourism became influential during the twentieth century by making observable behaviour its central subject. Later work in cognitive psychology placed renewed emphasis on mental processes. David Baker and Heather Sperry's historical overview traces how research on perception, language and memory contributed to this change during the 1950s and 1960s.[4]
Research methods
Researchers choose methods according to the question and the practical limits of a study. In an experiment, they change an independent variable and measure a dependent variable. Random assignment helps make the comparison groups similar on average, strengthening an inference about cause and effect when other influences are controlled.[5]
Correlational research instead measures associations without deliberately changing the conditions. An association alone does not establish which variable causes the other, or rule out an influence affecting both. This distinction matters when interpreting psychological findings: a relationship between measurements and an experimentally tested explanation are different kinds of evidence.[5]
References
- ↑ Spielman, Rose M.; Jenkins, William J.; Lovett, Marilyn D. (2020-04-22). "1.1 What Is Psychology?". Psychology 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
Psychology refers to the scientific study of the mind and behavior.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stangor, Charles. "1.1 Psychology as a Science". Introduction to Psychology – 1st Canadian Edition. BCcampus. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
The predictions made by psychologists (and most other scientists) are only probabilistic.
- ↑ Spielman, Rose M.; Jenkins, William J.; Lovett, Marilyn D. (2020-04-22). "1.3 Contemporary Psychology". Psychology 2e. OpenStax. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of development across a lifespan.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baker, David B.; Sperry, Heather. "History of Psychology". Noba textbook series: Psychology. Diener Education Fund. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
In 1879, he complemented his lectures on experimental psychology with a laboratory experience
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Scollon, Christie Napa. "Research Designs". Noba textbook series: Psychology. Diener Education Fund. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
All methods have limitations, which is why the best research uses a variety of methods.
Attribution
Adapted from English Wikipedia's Psychology, revision 1378620850 (contributors and history), under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Rewritten as a concise overview with independently checked secondary sources. This is not a comprehensive history or literature review.