Why do people do the things they do? What factors influence how personality develops? And how do our behaviors and experiences shape our character? These are just a few of the questions that psychologists explore, and experimental methods allow researchers to create and empirically test hypotheses.
By studying such questions, researchers can also develop theories that enable them to describe, explain, predict, and even change human behaviors. For example, researchers might utilize experimental methods to investigate why people engage in unhealthy behaviors.
By learning more about the underlying reasons why these behaviors occur, researchers can then search for effective ways to help people avoid such actions or replace unhealthy choices with more beneficial ones.
While students are often required to take experimental psychology courses during undergraduate and graduate school , you should think about this subject as a methodology rather than a singular area within psychology. Many of these techniques are also used by other subfields of psychology to conduct research on everything from childhood development to social issues. Experimental psychology is important because the findings discovered by psychologists play a vital role in our understanding of the human mind and behavior.
By better understanding exactly what makes people tick, psychologists and other mental health professionals are able to explore new approaches to treating psychological distress and mental illness.
So how exactly do researchers investigate the human mind and behavior? Because the human mind is so complex, it seems like a challenging task to explore the many factors that contribute to how we think, act, and feel. Experimental psychologists use a variety of different research methods and tools to investigate human behavior.
In some cases, psychologists can perform experiments to determine if there is a cause-and-effect relationship between different variables. For example, researchers could perform a study to look at whether sleep deprivation impairs performance on a driving test. The experimenter could control for other variables that might influence the outcome, but then vary the amount of sleep that participants get the night before a driving test.
All of the participants would then take the same driving test via a simulator or on a controlled course. By analyzing the results, researchers can then determine if it was changes in the independent variable amount of sleep that led to differences in the dependent variable performance on a driving test. Experimentation remains the primary standard, but other techniques such as case studies, correlational research, and naturalistic observation are frequently utilized in psychological research.
Case studies allow researchers to study a single individual or group of people in great depth. Such studies are often performed in instances where experimentation is not possible. For example, a scientist might conduct a case study when the person of interest has had a unique or rare experience that could not be replicated in a lab. Rather, he says there is today an unprecedented amount of cross-discipline and multinational collaboration across the fields of psychology and indeed all the social sciences.
Solving the mysteries of the mind is not the only interesting option for someone who graduates with a degree in human behavior or psychology. There are countless areas in which to put a human behavior degree to work in a fulfilling way. One possibility is in applied behavioral analysis ABA , which is based on the science of behaviorism.
This arm of human behavior science has a certification process for therapists who wish to use it in their practice. It is known mostly for its widespread use in helping people with autism, but it is used in many other ways including helping people cope with brain injuries and dementia. The basic principles of behaviorism are also well integrated into the field of education. They might have something like a classroom store so that if a student exhibits positive behavior, they get points to trade in for actual things like pencils or little toys.
Human behavior sciences are also used in the corrections system to help reduce recidivism and to evaluate when incarcerated people are ready for parole. Examples might include encouraging people to wear seatbelts, eat healthfully, and stop smoking, or to volunteer or donate to charity, or to recycle and drive fuel-efficient cars. Political campaigns and lobbyists might wield human behavior savvy in similar ways.
The workplace is another stage on which knowledge of human behavior has a starring role. Managers and supervisors can encourage team cohesion and enhance staff productivity and motivation by skillfully applying principles of human behavior research.
Jenkins recommends the National program for its emphasis on research practices. Charles Tatum, is a master researcher and he does a fantastic job of teaching students the basics of how we study this stuff.
Courses in the Master of Arts in Human Behavior Psychology at National University are available in person and also online, to meet the needs of students with jobs, family, or other responsibilities. Classes are taken one at a time for four weeks each, allowing for complete immersion in each topic and quick time to graduation.
The program can be completed within a year and a half. I confirm that the information provided on this form is accurate and complete.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy CBT is a rapidly growing field within counseling that makes use of these concepts, particularly that by changing unproductive, even erroneous thoughts and patterns of thinking, we can change behaviors. Behavioral psychology is one of those rare fields where what you learn in the classroom is rapidly applicable to real-world situations. Studying Behavioral Psychology. Find Your Degree! AD online-psychology-degrees.
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This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. Got it! Behavioral Psychology, B. Two overall types of reinforcement, positive and negative reinforcement, are defined as: Positive reinforcement is the presentation of a particular stimulus that causes behavior to be performed.
For example, a dog that receives a treat when shaking hands has received positive reinforcement. A girl who gets the praise of her team after hitting a home run is receiving positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement occurs when a stimulus most often an aversive, or unpleasant stimulus is removed after the subject performs the target behavior.
Punishment involves the presentation of an aversive—a painful or uncomfortable stimulus—that reduces a particular behavior. Negative and positive reinforcement always increases the likelihood of a specific behavior. Punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior, but it cannot teach new behaviors.
Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Why should you study psychology?
There are plenty of great reasons to learn about psychology, even if you don't plan to become a psychology major or work in a psychology-related profession. Psychology is all around you and touches on every aspect of your life!
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