Psychology A Self Teaching Guide English PDF

The word psychology has had several different meanings from ancient to modern times. Here is its present definition:Psychology is the science that studies the behavior of organisms. This definition should guide you throughout your study of this
book.
Three words in the definition merit special attention:(1) science, (2) behavior,
and (3) organisms. Modern psychology is considered a science because it bases its
conclusions on data, information obtained by systematic observations. The
research methods used by psychology are covered in chapter 2.
Behavior has three aspects: (1) cognitive processes, (2) emotional states, and
(3) actions. Cognitive processes refer to what an individual thinks. Emotional
states refer to what an individual feels. Actions refer to what an individual
does.
An organism is any living creature. Consequently, the behavior of dogs, rats,
pigeons, and monkeys can be legitimately included in the study of psychology.
Such organisms have indeed been subjects in psychology experiments. However,
traditionally the principal focus of psychology has been humans. When animals
are used in experiments, the implicit goal is often to explore how such basic
processes as learning and motivation, as studied in animals, can cast a light on our
understanding of human behavior.