Psychology

Psychology:

"science or study of the thought processes and behavior of humans and other animals in their interaction with the environment. Psychologists study processes of sense perception, thinking, learning, cognition, emotions and motivations, personality, abnormal behavior, interactions between individuals, and interactions with the environment. The field is closely allied with such disciplines as anthropology and sociology in its concerns with social and environmental influences on behavior; physics in its treatment of vision, hearing, and touch; and biology in the study of the physiological basis of behavior. In its earliest speculative period, psychological study was chiefly embodied in philosophical and theological discussions of the soul."

Source: Psychology Definition from The Columbia Encyclopedia

Five Methods of Psychological Research

• Case Study - a qualitative research method that requires studying the development of a person, group situation over a period of time 
• Experiment - a broad method that may include a test and control group, a control of variables, and attainment of measurable results that show cause and effect 
• Observational Study - a qualitative method where psychologists study a variable but do not try to change it; often a precursor to future experiments 
• Survey - a quantitative research method that relies on the sample participants to respond to the questions given
• Content Analysis - a quantitative method which involves studying media for choice words or concepts; often used when looking for stereotypes