Basic Branches of Psychology

BASIC BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

One of the major branches of psychology is neuropsychology or biopsychology. It looks at the different biological factors that affect mental processes and behavior. It looks at the phenomena associated with sensation and sensory perception. This is a relatively new field of psychology because it depends on understanding things like neurotransmitters and the different mental processes linked to different parts of the brain.

The field originated in the 1870s, when a researcher named Paul Broca mapped speech production to certain areas on the left frontal gyrus of the brain. Another researcher, Carl Wernicke, mapped out the areas of the brain that determine the ability to understand the spoken word. It was discovered by these researchers that there is lateralization of certain cerebral processes so that an injury on a specific side an of the brain means a different impact on mental and physical functioning.

Many other things were discovered by studying people who had major brain injuries. One infamous patient who was studied was Phineas Gage, who had a rod impaling his frontal lobe and survived. He developed significant social and interpersonal difficulties afterward, which were examined; the findings helped doctors understand the role of the frontal lobe on thinking and behavior.

In modern science, there is the field of behavioral neuroscience that looks at the interplay between neurology and psychology. Because of the ethical issues regarding the study of the nervous system in humans, many studies are done on neural circuits as they relate to learning and memory in rats.

There are doctors and researchers that use neuroimaging techniques to take specialized images of the human brain. The differences in brain structures as they relate to psychological differences in humans can then be studied ethically. Brain damaged patients or those with brain tumors can help determine which parts of the brain are associated with what kinds of neurological, emotional, and cognitive defects.

A related field is evolutionary psychology, which looks at thinking patterns and personality traits that have changed over the course of human development. According

to those who study this field, there have been specific psychological adaptations that have evolved over the course of human history in order to advance humankind. Behavioral genetics looks at the more immediate genetic factors that play a role in behavior and cognition.

Another branch of psychology is behavioral psychology. This has involved a great deal of research on mammals and other animals with regard to learning and behavior among the different species. Later on, we will cover classical and operant conditioning. This has been studied in animals and applied to human behavior. Behaviorism describes how people could be used to describe how phobias can develop by pairing an aversive stimulus with otherwise benign imagery.

Behaviorism or behavioral psychology is used to explain the concepts of reinforcement and punishment in order to model certain behaviors. They do not discuss things like the unconscious mind, which cannot easily be studied. Famous behaviorists include Edwin Guthrie, Clark Hull, and BF Skinner. A part of behaviorism is called cognitive behaviorism, which combines pure or radical behaviorism and the internal thinking processes of the mind. Behavioral modification is used in some psychological circles in order to shape human and animal behavior.

Cognitive psychology is another main branch of psychology. It mainly studies thinking processes, such as reasoning, attention, perception, memory, learning, and problemsolving. These are largely physical processes that originate in the brain. Researchers use experimental studies to look at how people learn and observe things. Aspects of behaviorism and cognitive psychology have been combined in clinical terms to make cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a popular form of psychotherapy.

Social psychology is another major branch of psychology. It studies the thought processes and relationships between two or more individuals. Things related to this include persuasion, stereotyping, conformity, and group dynamics. Group dynamics relates to things like group communication, leadership, and how people work together in groups. Social issues also play a big role in the manifestations of some psychiatric diseases.