Psychology My View On Psychology - 1277 Words

PSYCHOLOGY: MY VIEW 3 Psychology is often misconstrued as a form of diagnostic and treatment only for individuals who have mental or emotional problems. However, this is just one form of psychology. The online general psychology course at South University introduces the student to a more accurate notion of psychology. The following essay will provide an overview of the material learned on the first two weeks of the online class. As such, the reader will have a better understanding of psychology; its historical development and impact in modern psychology; and how the scientific research applies in psychology. PSYCHOLOGY AS A SCIENCE In our textbook, psychology is defined as ?the scientific study of thought and behavior? (Feist†¦show more content†¦Therefore, the researchers conducted experiments on Albert to test their assumption consisting on striking the hammer on the steel when they presented an animal or object. Finally, the researchers interpreted Alberts reaction to the animal or objected after being conditioned to associate it with a negative sensation and communicated their prediction was plausible. The fact that the researchers in this case were able to observe, measure and manipulate a reaction on Albert to produce empirical evidence needed to prove or disprove their theory is what makes psychology a science. HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND ITS IMPACT ON MODERN PSYCHOLOGY In the lecture and textbook, it is mentioned that psychology stems from two unrelated scientific fields which are philosophy and physiology. Philosophy, as it is defined in our lecture, refers to ?the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom? (South University, 2015). Physiology, on the other hand, refers to ?the study of the functions of an organism?(South University, 2015). Although many individuals contributed to the practice and development of psychology, only a handful of these contributors laid the ground work that shaped psychology into a science. For instance, the philosopher John Locke introduced the theory of empiricism. In his theory, Locke contended the mind begins as a?tabula rasa, or blank