Subfields of Psychology

2 Key excerpts on "Subfields of Psychology"

• 

  eBook - ePub

  Education and Psychology in Interaction

  Working With Uncertainty in Interconnected Fields

  • Brahm Norwich(Author)
  • 2002(Publication Date)
  • Routledge

    (Publisher)

  3 Psychology: study of humanity or science?

  Psychology is a vast and ramified discipline. It contains many mansions. But this does not prevent it from being intellectually divided against itself. Taylor (1985, p. 117)

  Introduction

  I concluded in the last chapter that educational theories are diverse and focus on different aspects of the educational field: what is to be learned, the social and personal aims of learning and the techniques of learning. The latter two aspects relate directly to basic beliefs about the nature of the person and learning, what I called meta-psychological assumptions. When educationalists explore these assumptions conceptually and empirically they begin to ask psychological questions and become involved in problems and questions covered by the field of psychology. This connection also relates to the historical development of psychology by scholars and practitioners involved in education. Education therefore needs psychology as a theoretical and technical resource and guide, as what can be called a contributory discipline. There is the risk, however, that psychology, particularly in its causal scientific version, comes to be applied without the critical role of educational theory and the interpretive participation of teachers. Psychology then assumes the dominant role in the relationship. This raises the question of whether education also contributes to psychology. How much does psychology need practical problems and questions from a field like education? To answer these questions calls for an examination of the contemporary issues and agendas in psychology, which is the focus of this chapter.

  Psychology is an alluring, puzzling and even a mysterious field. It can be seen to contain crucial knowledge and understanding about the mind and human behaviour which can answer many of the questions about human nature which concern us all. Such answers can hold out the promise of solutions to human problems, something which is particularly relevant in a secular age when the traditional answers from religion have become less plausible and acceptable. It is seen (witness the images projected by the media) as offering those who are familiar with its secrets the potential, if not the actual power, to control and perhaps manipulate others. Psychology, focusing on the mind or the psyche, also has associations with what is not physical and material, with ghostly processes which lurk in some immaterial realm. Though there has been a significant growth of a scientific approach to psychology over the last century, and that is now the dominant mode of study, this development has not been welcomed consistently. Put briefly and simply, a scientific mode offers the authority and power associated with science in other fields where it has achieved considerable successes, such as in physics and biology. This arises from an agenda which aims to identify causal mechanisms which can be applied to the control of psychological outcomes. But this very process can also be seen to be dehumanising in denying the role of human meaning and agency. Despite this, psychology has over the last century attracted many hopes and expectations. This was recognised by William James as regards teachers and teaching, as noted in the last chapter. Currently psychology is attracting many students in Higher Education. Figures quoted by Gale (1997), for example, indicate that in the USA psychology produces the second largest number of major graduates, after business administration and management. A world-wide survey indicates a doubling of the number of qualified psychologists between 1982 and 1992. There has been a similar growth in Higher Education psychology places in the UK.

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  BIOS Instant Notes in Cognitive Psychology

  • Jackie Andrade, Jon May(Authors)
  • 2004(Publication Date)
  • Taylor & Francis

    (Publisher)

  in vivo brain imaging techniques have resulted in new sub-disciplines such as cognitive science, cognitive neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, social cognitive neuroscience etc. Verbal or qualitative models of information processing are still the foundation stones of mainstream cognitive psychology, but it is increasingly common for them to be supported by evidence from brain-injured patients and quantitative (computational or mathematical) modeling as well as by conventional laboratory experiments. The main sub-disciplines of cognitive psychology are discussed in the next Topic.

  A4 Sub-disciplines of cognitive psychology

  Keynotes

  Cognitive science	Essentially the development of computational models of cognitive functions, as a means of learning more about human cognitive abilities. The aim is to program a computer with the same competence and performance as a human. Strong artificial intelligence (AI) assumes that a correctly programmed computer will be conscious in the same way as a human. Weak AI assumes that a correctly programmed computer just simulates human consciousness.
  Cognitive neuropsychology	The study of cognitive deficits following brain injury has strongly influenced the development of cognitive theories. Double dissociations in patterns of impairment support claims that cognitive functions are modular. A criticism of this approach is that studying the effects of something’s absence does not reveal its function when present.
  Cognitive neuroscience	This new approach uses brain imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study intact brain function. It is based on the assumption that separate cognitive functions are properties of separate brain regions. Studies are informed by neuropsychology and cognitive theory.

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