psychology

What is psychology?

psyche, the Ancient Greek word for 'mind'

-ology, meaning 'a field of study'

then psychology means 'the study of the mind'

Core concept:

psychology is a broad field, with many specialties, but fundamentally psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes.

Three ways of doing psychology:

experimental psychologists, teachers of psychology, applied psychologists

Psychology is not psychiatry:

psychiatry is a medical specialty, psychiatrists tend to treat patients with more server mental disorders and to view patients from a medical perspective, as persons with mental 'diseases'.

psychology is a much broader field that encompasses the whole range of human behavior and mental processes. psychologists work in a wide variety of fields, all of which view people from a psychological perspective. 

What is critical Thinking?

1. what is the source?

2. is the claim reasonable or extreme?

3. what is the evidence?

4. could bias contaminate the conclusion? [emotional bias, confirmation bias]

5. does the reasoning avoid common fallacies?[Birds of a feather flock together. Opposites attract. The early bird gets the worm. Haste makes waste.]

6.Does the issue require multiple perspectives?

Psychology's Six Main Perspectives:

the biological, cognitive, behavioral, whole-person, developmental, and sociocultural viewpoints.