Passage 2

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and the mind. It is a popular subject with many fascinating features.

The word psychology comes from the Greek words psyche, meaning mind or soul, and logia, meaning study. Since ancient times, people have been interested in why human beings and other animals behave as they do. The origins of psychology are often traced to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose main interest was in what the human mind can accomplish.

Psychologists seek answers to a wide range of human behaviors such as: How do our brains learn and remember? How does the mind affect the body? (One answer for this behavior is that some people are able to change their heart rates and body temperatures just by thinking about doing so.) What about personality differences in people? Why are some people bashful and some not shy at all? What causes violence? How can violence be stopped?

Psychological research is applied to a wide range of human activity related to everyday life, such as family, education, employment, and mental health. Psychology is a broad and diverse field and includes areas such as human development, cognitive development (the mental processing of information), and others. More than any other part of the human body, the brain raises questions that psychologists are searching to answer.

A number of different specialty areas in psychology have emerged. One of these is sports psychology, which deals with increasing athletic performance. A sport psychologist may work with individual athletes or team athletes to improve performance levels. Some of the most important skills taught are goal setting, relaxation, visualization, awareness and control, concentration, and confidence.

Some sport psychologists also work in the fitness industry to design exercise programs that enhance participation and promote psychological well-being.

Psychologists use scientific methods to test their ideas. Three methods are often used in psychological research.

The first method is naturalistic observation, observing the behavior of human beings and other animals in their natural environments. Here is an example of naturalistic observation. The study of parent-child interaction may involve videotaping the parent and child in their home either as they go about their daily routine or as they perform an activity given to them by the researcher. The videotaped interactions can then be analyzed to learn information from them.

The second method is systematic assessment that identifies and examines people's thoughts, feelings, and personality traits with case histories, surveys and standardized tests.

Things such as intelligence and reading ability can be measured through standardized tests. The third method uses experimentation to discover or confirm cause and effect relationships. It enables a scientist to test a theory under controlled conditions. To demonstrate a cause and effect, an experiment must often show that, for example, if something occurs after a certain treatment is given to a subject, the same thing should not occur in the absence of the treatment.

Psychology is closely related to the natural science of biology and the social sciences of sociology and anthropology that deal with people in society. Social sciences study the attitudes and relationships of human beings in social settings. Psychology is similar to a medical field called psychiatry; however, psychiatrists have medical degrees and usually focus on treating mental disorders.

Research findings in psychology have greatly increased the possibility of understanding why people behave as they do. They have provided valuable insights into helping people function better individually and as a group or society. Psychological research and experimentation are fascinating, but how people actually benefit from the findings is the true measure of success.

Psychology is the scientific study of ________.

The word psyche means ________.

Logia means ________.

The origins of psychology can be traced back to ancient ________.

Aristotle's main interest was in ________.