Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind. It studies thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in humans and animals. Psychology aims to explain how the mind works. It also looks at how our actions relate to how we think.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

A lot of the research in psychology is done on humans. However, animals are also used in research. Examples of this are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. ^[6][7] Psychology is a vast subject area. It covers many topics. It is divided into branches. Psychology has a lot in common with other fields of research. Ideas in psychology overlap with ideas in the sciences of anatomy, biology, neuroscience and physiology.

A person who works in the field of psychology is called a psychologist. A psychologist tries to understand how the mind works so that they can help people and animals. They must go through higher education for many years in order to become a professional. These practitioners attempt to explain how the mind functions by itself (individual) and with others (social). They also see how the mind affects the body. They work with social, behavioral, and cognitive sciences.

1. ↑ "How does the APA defin"psychology"?". Retrieved 15 November 2011.
2. ↑ "Definition of "psychology (APA's Index Page)"". Retrieved 20 December 2011.
3. ↑ Fernald L.D. 2008. Psychology: six perspectives (pp. 12–15). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
4. ↑ Hockenbury & Hockenbury. 2010. Psychology. Worth Publishers.
5. ↑ O'Neil, H.F.; cited in Coon D. & Mitterer J.O. 2008. Introduction to psychology: gateways to mind and behavior 12th ed, Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, pp. 15–16.
6. ↑ Hamm M. & Mitchell R.W. (1997). The interpretation of animal psychology: anthropomorphism or behavior reading?. Behaviour, 134(3-4), 173-204.
7. ↑ Tooby, J., & Cosmides, L. (1989). Adaption versus phylogeny: The role of animal psychology in the study of human behavior. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2(3).