ABSTRACT
Chapter summary
Psychology is a science that focuses on understanding people’s behaviour by considering their internal processes and motives.
Behaviour is jointly determined by numerous factors. These include the current stimuli, recent and childhood experiences, personality, intelligence, and genetic, physiological, cognitive, social, and cultural factors.
Critics argue that laboratory research is artificial. However, observing behaviour in experiments conducted under well-controlled conditions using the experimental method is the best way of identifying the main determinants of behaviour.
The criticism that psychological findings are merely common sense is wrong. There is no coherent commonsensical account of human behaviour, many findings in psychology are not obvious, and it is especially hard for non-psychologists to predict accurately complex findings in psychology.
People often mistakenly believe findings in psychology are obvious because of a tendency to be wise after the event (hindsight bias). However, it can be argued that hindsight bias is not really a bias but, rather, an adaptive updating of one’s knowledge when new information is available.
The great majority of psychological research is limited because the findings were based on individuals living in Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies.
There is an important distinction between individualistic and collectivistic cultures. However, this distinction is oversimplified. High-status individuals in many collectivistic cultures espouse both collectivistic and individualistic values.
16Cultural influences are not fixed but instead depend on the accessibility of culture-relevant information (e.g., national anthem).
Most psychological therapies are of proven effectiveness in treating mental disorders. However, cognitive behavioural therapy is often the most effective form of therapy (e.g., in the treatment of anxiety and depression).
Health psychologists have been increasingly successful in reducing deaths from coronary heart disease and smoking, and in slowing the increase in obesity.
Psychologists devised the nudge approach used by many governments to produce beneficial changes within society (e.g., increasing the incidence of organ donation). However, this approach often has limited effectiveness and there are ethical concerns that the use of nudges may reduce individuals’ freedom of choice.
This book is organised into five main approaches (biological; developmental; social; individual differences; and cognitive) with additional coverage of the behaviourist approach.
