SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN

PSYCHOLOGY

LECTURE 3
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FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY
1. Experimental Psychology:
a general title applied to a variety
of psychologists who are trained in
designing and conducting research
in specific basic areas like learning,
sensation and perception, human
performance, and motivation and
emotion. A research oriented
doctoral degree (Ph.D.) is usually
needed.
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2. Biopsychology:
Take a comparative and ontogenetic
perspective in the experimental
analysis of basic psychological
processes as they relate to the many
ways in which animal species adapt,
survive, reproduce and evolve.

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3. Developmental Psychology:
Concerned with growth and
development from conception till
death. All aspects of the animal or
human organism (physiological,
biological, physical, cognitive,
emotional, social, cultural) may be
studied.

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4. Social Psychology:
study the ways in which the social
context affects the behavior of the
individual and groups in the real
world and the laboratory. Social
psychologists focus on topics such as
social roles, attitude formation and
change, affiliation, interpersonal
attraction and interaction,
conformity, and group processes.

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5. Industrial / Organizational Psychologists:

are concerned with the relation between individuals
and work. They are employed in business and
industry, in government, and in colleges and
universities, and may perform a variety of jobs. An
industrial/organizational psychologist working in
industry may study how work is organized; suggest
changes to improve the satisfaction of employees,
the quality of the organization's services, and
productivity; consult with management on the
development of effective training programs for
employees; design programs for the early
identification of management potential; administer
career counseling and pre retirement counseling
programs; develop affirmative action programs;
recommend changes in job definition; design a
system of performance evaluation.
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6. Educational Psychologists:
are concerned with a range of activities
from initial design through development
and evaluation of both materials and
procedures for education and training.
Such positions exist in public schools, in
the military, in private research and
development companies, and in industrial
concerns. They may deal with analyzing
education and training needs, with
developing materials for instruction in
various media, with designing the best
conditions for instruction, and with
evaluating the effectiveness of
instructional programs.

7. Clinical Psychologists:
are concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of
psychological disturbances. After graduate preparation
in an accredited university or school of professional
psychology, supervised postdoctoral experience, and
licensure or certification by the state, some clinical
psychologists enter independent practice/consulting
roles. Others find themselves responsible for a complete
range of psychological services in public settings. Their
responsibilities range from administering and scoring
psychological tests, to engaging in therapy, to
supervising the training of graduate students in the
delivery of mental health services, to administering a
community mental health program. Some clinical
psychologists obtain faculty positions in a college or
university where they perform research and train
graduate students. Others serve as adjunct (or parttime) faculty, while maintaining independent clinical
practices. Many serve as consultants.

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8. Counseling Psychologists:
are concerned with counseling, teaching,
consulting research, and/or administration.
In their work, they are particularly
concerned with the role of education and
work in an individual's functioning, and
with the interaction between individuals
and the environments in which they live.
Typically, counseling psychologists work
with normal or moderately maladjusted
persons, individually or in groups. This
work includes use of traditional counseling
interview methods, interest, ability and
personality tests, and educational and
occupational information.

9. Cross-cultural psychology
Is a branch of psychology that looks at
how cultural factors influence human
behavior. Learn more about what crosscultural psychology is and who should
study it.
10. Forensic Psychology:
It is defined as an intersection between
psychology and the criminal justice
system. It is applied to the criminal justice
system to evaluate
the psychology of the defendants.
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11. Environmental psychology:

is an interdisciplinary field focused
on the interplay between humans
and their surroundings. The field
defines the term environment very
broadly including all that is natural
on the planet as well as social
settings, built environments, learning
environments and informational
environments.

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12. Psychiatry:
Psychiatry is a medical specialty
devoted to the treatment, study and
prevention of mental disorder. They
can prescribe medicines. They are
MBBS Doctors.

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13. Psychology of Women

This class explores the female
experience within the world. Many
times people ask why there isn't a
Psychology of Men class. There are
plenty of them, as most classes are
designed with the male as the
baseline. This class looks at how
women differ from the baseline and
how the female experience is also
valid in its own right, not as just an
"other."

METHODS
OF
PYCHOLOGY

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1. CASE HISTORY:
An in-depth study of one person. In a
case study, nearly every aspect of
the subjects life and history is
analyzed to seek patterns and
causes for behavior. The hope is that
learning gained from studying one
case can be generalized to many
others. Unfortunately, case studies
tend to be highly subjective and it is
difficult to generalize results to a
larger population.
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2. NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION:
Naturalistic observation is a method
of observation, commonly used by
psychologists, behavioral scientists
and social scientists, that involves
observing subjects in their
natural habitats. Researchers take
great care in avoiding making
interferences with the behavior they
are observing by using unobtrusive
methods. Objectively, studying
events as they occur naturally,
without intervention.

3. SURVEY METHOD:
Survey is a method of scientific
investigation in which a large sample
of people answer questions about
their attitudes or behavior.

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4. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD:
The experimental method involves
manipulating one variable to determine if
changes in one variable cause changes in
another variable. This method relies on
controlled methods, random assignment
and the manipulation of variables to test a
hypothesis.
An experiment is a study of cause and
effect. It differs from non-experimental
methods in that it involves the
deliberate manipulation of one
variable, while trying to keep all
other variables constant.

Parts of a Simple Experiment:

The experimental hypothesis: a statement that predicts that

the treatment will cause an effect. The experimental hypothesis
will always be phrased as a cause-and-effect statement.

The independent variable: the treatment variable that is

manipulated by the experimenter.
(stimulus)

The dependent variable: the response that the experimenter is

measuring. (response)

The control group: made up of individuals who are randomly

assigned to a group but do not receive the treatment. The
measures takes from the control group are then compared to those
in the experimental group to determine if the treatment had an
effect.

The experimental group: made up of individuals who are

randomly assigned to the group and then receive the treatment.
The scores of these participants are compared to those in the
control group to determine if the treatment had an effect.

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For example:
Hypothesis: an aspirin a day reduces the
likelihood of a heart attack.
Independent variable: Aspirin
Dependent Variable: the number of heart
attacks.
The experimental group: would take an
aspirin each day
The control group: would take a placebo,
such as a sugar pill, that resembles an aspirin
but has none of the effects attributed to aspirin.
After a few months or years of pill-taking, the
number of heart attacks would be measured as
the dependent variable. If the aspirin-takers
(experimental group) had a significantly smaller
number of heart attacks than the placebotakers (control group), then the research
hypothesis (aspirin-taking reduces heart

5. CORRELATION:
Correlation studies are used to look for
relationships between variables. There are
three possible results of a co relational study: a
positive correlation, a negative correlation, and
no correlation. The correlation coefficient is a
measure of correlation strength and can range
from 1.00 to +1.00.
Positive Correlations: Both variables increase
or decrease at the same time. A correlation
coefficient close to +1.00 indicates a strong
positive correlation.
Negative Correlations: Indicates that as the
amount of one variable increases, the other
decreases (and vice versa). A correlation
coefficient close to -1.00 indicates a strong
negative correlation.
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