Page 11 - DEDU402_DEVELOPMENT_OF_LEARNER_AND_TEACHING_LEARNING_PROCESS_ENGLISH

Development of Learner and Teaching Learning Process

Notes 1.3 Psychology is a Science

Psychology is a science of the study of human and animal behavior. It is now considered as a complete
science. As in pure science certain principles and rules are being set on the basis of experiments. Likewise
in psychology too the principles and rules are determined related to behavior. The study of human
behavior is being done on the basis of these rules and principles. These bases conclude the discovery of the
reason of behavior and the possibilities of past and future of behavior are also discovered. Psychology is
not the subject of mere thinking but these evidences are collected by using experimental kind of scientifi c
techniques. Whatever responses human reflects towards its own environmental stimulates, psychology

studies the same. Therefore, we can say—“Psychology is the science of human behavior or is the study of
the science of its own reflection of response towards the stimulants based in the environment.”

In fact, Psychology is the science of human behavior. It cannot be considered as material science. We
can also call it Natural Science. There is a specific and fundamental difference between Psychology and

material science. In material science we can keep control over the substance and attain success by doing
desirable experiments in the laboratory. Opposite to that Psychology taken as subject is human instead
of substance is not controllable as substance. Speed of mind is not controllable. One moment you think
of New York and the next Peiking. If someone is busy hearing, something else instantly revolves around
the thought of mind. Thus it is not possible to control the human mind like substance.

When mental behavior is being studied or mental related rules and principles are
determined on the basis of psychological experiments the inferences and the possibilities
are necessarily be present. Thus psychology is not a pure science as of Physics or Chemistry.

Second, difference between psychology and material science is that Universality is found in material
science, while individualness and individual differences are always there in psychology. For example,
when a psychologist studies human behavior in the laboratory his subject would be the mind of a
particular human through which his behavior would be conducted. If any other subject would be tested
instead of this subject, the study being done at present and the study done earlier will not be same.
Same way if a scientist does an experiment on an elephant, he will observe the reaction of all human
towards the elephant and will set a general rule but when a psychologist will study the reaction of
human towards elephant he has to study the reaction of every individual. On the basis of there reaction
he cannot set a general rule.
Psychology accepts the three main techniquies of natural science – Observation, Experimentation, and
Description. This is why it is called natural science. It uses the scientific techniques when it studies

human or particular as subject. Psychology does not mere discuss about doctrine of ideology like
philosophy ethics or aesthetics.

1.4 Branches of Psychology

Keeping objects in mind we can divide psychology into two main branches—
(1) Normal or General Psychology
(2) Abnormal Psychology

Normal or general psychology is the scientific study of entire behavior of human Human and animal.
But abnormal psychology is the study of sick or abnormal state of human. These two branches are
further divided into other sub-branches like general or normal psychology is divided into individual,

4 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY

30/07/13 3:03 PM
Development of learner and teaching learning process 4
Development of learner and teaching learning process 4 30/07/13 3:03 PM