Learning Targets

• 3-1 Explain the difference between basic and applied psychology.

• 3-2 Describe what psychologists working in various subfields do, and where they work.

• Basic terms:

  • psychometrics: the scientific study of the measurement of human abilities, attitudes, and traits.
  • basic research: pure science that aims to increase the scientific knowledge base.
  • applied research: scientific study that aims to solve practical problems.
  • clinical psychology: a branch that studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders.
  • counseling psychology: a branch that assists people with problems in living (often related to school, work, or marriage) and in achieving greater well-being.
  • psychiatry: a branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders; practiced by physicians licensed to prescribe drugs and provide medical treatments.
  • community psychology: a branch that studies how people interact with their social environments and how social institutions affect individuals and groups.
  • I/O psychology (industrial-organizational): applying psychology to optimize human behavior in workplaces (e.g., selection, training, morale, productivity).
  • human factors psychology: explores how people and machines interact and how environments can be made safe and easy to use.
  • other subfields include cognitive, developmental, educational, personality, social, experimental, and psychometric/quantitative psychology.

• The field is a hub for many disciplines. Psychology is described as a "hub scientific discipline" (John Cacioppo, 2007), a meeting ground for diverse interests.

• The common quest across subfields: describing and explaining behavior and the underlying mechanisms.

• Psychometrics and quantitative methods shape how we measure abilities, attitudes, and traits; statistics and data analysis underpin many subfields.

• There is a continuum from basic research (to build knowledge) to applied research (to solve real-world problems) to the helping professions (to assist people directly).

• Real-world pictures of subfield work mentioned in the text:

  • A chemist at work vs a psychologist at work (lab scientist vs brain research).
  • An intelligence researcher measuring infant boredom by tracking looking behavior.
  • An executive evaluating a new training program for employees.
  • A researcher analyzing big data from social media updates.
  • A therapist actively listening to a depressed client.
  • A traveling academic visiting another country to share ideas.

• The quote about psychology as a science and a helping profession:

  • Psychology experiment: testing, observing, and helping modify behavior across settings.
  • The text emphasizes both scientific study and clinical/helping roles.

• Dorothea Dix is cited as a historical reformer who advocated humane treatment of those with psychological disorders (1802–1887). Example quote: '…call your attention to the state of the insane Persons confined within this Commonwealth, in cages.'

Psychology's Main Subfields

• If you major in psychology, you develop a scientific mindset and awareness of core principles (biological bases, nature–nurture interactions, lifespan development, cognition, disorders, and social interactions).

• Career pathways span business, helping professions, health services, marketing, law, sales, and teaching; graduate school enables specialized training.

• Appendix D (Preparing for Further Psychology Studies) provides tips for bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral training and career options.

• Basic Research Subfields

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Focus: thinking processes
  • Topics: perception, language, attention, problem solving, memory, judgment and decision making, forgetting, intelligence
  • Careers: professor, corporate consultant, human factors specialist (education or business settings)
  • Developmental psychology
  • Focus: age-related behavioral changes from womb to tomb
  • Applications: educational settings, child-care, policy, related fields
  • Specializes in life-span stages (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood)
  • Educational psychology
  • Focus: psychological processes involved in learning
  • Relationships: learning to physical and social environments; strategies to enhance learning
  • Activities: research on learning, design innovative teaching methods, design tests of aptitude/achievement
  • Settings: universities, schools, government, businesses (training programs)
  • Experimental psychology
  • Focus: broad basic behavioral processes in humans and animals (motivation, learning, perception, language)
  • Theoretical perspectives (e.g., cognitive) guide work
  • Typical employment: academic settings (teach, supervise, conduct research), or research institutions, zoos, businesses, government
  • Psychometric and quantitative psychology
  • Focus: mathematics-related methods to acquire psychological knowledge
  • Tasks: update or create tests, administer/score/interpret tests, design research, analyze results
  • Skills needed: research methods, statistics, computer technology
  • Employers: universities, testing companies, private research firms, government agencies
  • Social psychology
  • Focus: interactions with others and how beliefs, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by/affect others
  • Topics: attitudes, aggression, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, group behavior, leadership
  • Careers: college/university faculty; organizational consultation, market research, applied fields including social neuroscience; potential roles in hospitals, federal agencies, social networks, businesses

• Applied Research Subfields (practical problem-solving focus)

  • Forensic psychology
  • Application: legal issues; research at the interface of law and psychology; help shape mental health policy; assist law enforcement; consult on jury selection and deliberation; provide assessments for legal contexts
  • Work contexts: university psychology departments, law schools, research organizations, community mental health, law enforcement, court, corrections
  • Note: most forensic psychologists are clinical; some have expertise in other areas (social, cognitive); some hold law degrees
  • Environmental psychology
  • Application: how environments influence behavior and well-being; design of spaces to promote healthy outcomes and sustainable practices
  • Health psychology
  • Application: psychology of health and illness; promotion of healthy behaviors; coping with illness; healthcare settings
  • Industrial–Organizational (I/O) psychology
  • Application: workplace optimization (selection and training, morale and productivity, product design, systems implementation)
  • Human factors psychology
  • Application: interaction of people with machines and physical environments; safety and usability improvements

• The Helping Professions

  • Counseling psychology
  • Role: helps people cope with problems in living (school, work, marriage) and to improve well-being
  • Clinical psychology
  • Role: studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders; may conduct tests, counseling, and research
  • Psychiatry
  • Role: medical doctors who diagnose and treat psychological disorders; may provide psychotherapy and can prescribe drugs
  • Community psychology
  • Role: studies how people interact with social environments and how institutions affect individuals and groups; aims to create healthy environments

• AP® Exam Tips and Notes

  • Important distinction: psychiatry is a medical specialty.
  • You should be able to summarize similarities and differences among counseling psychologists, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists for the AP® exam.
  • Check Your Understanding (sample):
  • 1. Clinical psychology
  • 2. Psychiatry
  • 3. Community psychology
  • a. Works to create social and physical environments that are healthy for all.
  • b. Studies, assesses, and treats people with psychological disorders but usually does not provide medical therapy.
  • c. Branch of medicine dealing with psychological disorders.
  • Answers: 1 -> b; 2 -> c; 3 -> a
  • FYI note: Expect questions on career options and the division between basic subfields, applied subfields, and helping professions.
  • The subfields listed here are arranged alphabetically in the text; graduate training typically required for many roles.

History and Context: Notable Figures and Concepts

• Dorothea Dix (1802–1887)
  • Advocate for humane treatment of the mentally ill; cited statement: "…call your attention to the state of the Insane Persons confined within this Commonwealth, in cages."
  • Her work helped shape history of therapy and reform in mental health care.

Subfields in Practice: Real-World Examples (Illustrative Scenarios)

• Visualizing a psychologist at work:
  • A psychologist evaluating an organization’s training program for employees
  • A therapist listening to a depressed client
  • A developmental psychologist studying age-related changes to inform educational policy
  • A cognitive psychologist researching perception, attention, and problem solving
  • A social psychologist examining attitudes and group dynamics in a workplace
  • A psychometric/quantitative psychologist developing a new standardized test
  • A human factors psychologist improving the usability of a medical device
• Example scenarios mentioned in the module:
  • An intelligence researcher measures infant boredom by tracking gaze patterns
  • A researcher analyzes big data from social media to study social behavior
  • A clinician or counselor works with individuals dealing with anxiety or depression
  • A traveling academic shares psychology knowledge across contexts

Delusional Disorder: Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-5) and Specifiers

• Diagnostic criteria for Delusional Disorder (DSM-5, code 297.1):
  • A. Nonbizarre delusions that persist for at least $1\ ext{month}$ (e.g., being followed, poisoned, infected, loved at a distance, deceived by a partner, or having a disease)
  • B. Criterion A for Schizophrenia has never been met
  • C. Apart from the impact of the delusion(s) or its ramifications, functioning is not markedly impaired and behavior is not obviously odd or bizarre
  • D. If mood episodes have occurred concurrently with delusions, their total duration is brief relative to the duration of the delusional periods
  • E. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition
• Delusional themes (specifier types):
  • Erotomanic Type: Delusions that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with the individual
  • Grandiose Type: Delusions of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, or a special relationship to a deity or famous person
  • Jealous Type: Delusions that the individual's sexual partner is unfaithful
  • Persecutory Type: Delusions that the person or someone close is being malevolently treated
  • Somatic Type: Delusions that the person has a physical defect or medical condition
  • Mixed Type: Delusions characteristic of more than one type but no single theme predominates
  • Unspecified Type: No theme specified
• Note: The content includes a historical image/placeholders (e.g., Ted Fitzgerald/AP Images) and is intended to illustrate DSM criteria in a clinical context.

Connections to Foundational Principles and Ethics

• Basic and applied psychology connect to core principles of science:
  • Empirical observation, measurement, and hypothesis testing underpin all subfields.
  • Consideration of biological bases, cognitive processes, social influences, and lifespan development.
• Real-world relevance:
  • Informing educational policy (developmental, educational psychology)
  • Designing safer and more usable technologies (human factors, I/O, cognitive engineering)
  • Improving mental health care and access (clinical, counseling, community psychology; policy implications from reformers like Dix)
• Ethical implications:
  • Use of psychological tests (psychometrics) must ensure validity, fairness, and privacy.
  • Forensic psychology raises questions about the role of psychology in legal settings and potential biases.
  • Community psychology emphasizes social justice and creating healthier environments for diverse populations.

Notes on Terminology and Structure

• Psychology's subfields can be broadly categorized into:
  • Basic Research Subfields: focus on knowledge generation
  • Applied Research Subfields: apply findings to real-world problems
  • The Helping Professions: clinical and counseling practices, plus related roles in health and community work
• The text emphasizes the versatility of a psychology degree and the wide range of work settings, including universities, schools, clinics, government agencies, businesses, and non-profits.

Appendix References (contextual)

• Polanin et al., 2012 – example study referenced in school bullying context
• Trickett, 2009; Bradshaw et al., 2009 – sources for Psychology's history and approaches
• J.B. Handelsman (1986) – reference in the visual slide from cartoonbank (educational context)
• Dorothea Dix (1802–1887) – reformer cited in historical context
• John Cacioppo (2007) – quote about psychology as a hub scientific discipline
• Appendix E – Answers to Test Yourself questions

Quick Summary (Key Takeaways)

• Psychology spans basic science (understanding mechanisms) to applied work solving real problems and to direct helping professions.
• Core subfields include cognitive, developmental, educational, experimental, psychometric/quantitative, and social psychology (basic), plus applied fields like forensic, environmental, health, I/O, and human factors.
• The helping professions include counseling, clinical psychology, psychiatry, and community psychology, each with distinct roles and training pathways.
• Historical figures like Dorothea Dix shaped humane treatment and the practice of therapy.
• Diagnostic criteria such as those for Delusional Disorder illustrate how psychology intersects with psychiatry and clinical assessment.