Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

R E C A P / E V A L U A T E / R E T H I N K 
R E C A P
What is the science of psychology?
• Psychology is the scientifi c study of behavior and mental 
processes, encompassing not just what people do but 
also their biological activities, feelings, perceptions, 
memory, reasoning, and thoughts. (p. 5)
What are the major specialties in the fi eld of psychology?
• Behavioral neuroscientists focus on the biological basis 
of behavior, and experimental psychologists study the 
processes of sensing, perceiving, learning, and thinking 
about the world. (p. 6)
• Cognitive psychology, an outgrowth of experimental 
psychology, studies higher mental processes, including 
memory, knowing, thinking, reasoning, problem solving, 
judging, decision making, and language. (p. 6)
• Developmental psychologists study how people grow 
and change throughout the life span. (p. 6)
• Personality psychologists consider the consistency and 
change in an individual’s behavior, as well as the indi-
vidual differences that distinguish one person’s behavior 
from another’s. (p. 6)
• Health psychologists study psychological factors that af-
fect physical disease, whereas clinical psychologists con-
sider the study, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal 
behavior. Counseling psychologists focus on educa-
tional, social, and career adjustment problems. (p. 8)
• Social psychology is the study of how people’s thoughts, 
feelings, and actions are affected by others. (p. 8)
• Cross-cultural psychology examines the similarities and 
differences in psychological functioning among various 
cultures. (p. 8)
• Other increasingly important fi elds are evolutionary 
psychology, behavioral genetics, and clinical 
neuropsychology. (p. 8)
Where do psychologists work?
• Psychologists are employed in a variety of settings. 
Although the primary sites of employment are private 
practice and colleges, many psychologists are found in 
hospitals, clinics, community mental health centers, and 
counseling centers. (p. 9)