Educational Psychology

-------------------------------------------------
PSYCHOLOGY: MEANING AND DEFINITIONS

What is psychology? The term "psychology" is derived from two Greek words – psyche (soul) and logos (science or study). Thus, literally it means study or science of soul. But now it is no more considered as science of soul. It has moved away from this focus and established itself as a scientific disciplinewhich deals with the various processes and behaviour of organism.
Most of the contemporary psychologists agree on a definition of psychology as the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes of organism. For more definitions of psychology, see Box#1.
There are three key terms in the above definition of psychology which have been clarified below:
Scientific study means usingtechniques such as observation, description, and experimental investigation to collect information and then organising this information.
Mental processes refer to private and cognitive process such as attention, perception, remembering (memory), problem – solving, reasoning, decision-making, feelings, thinking, motives etc

-------------------------------------------------
Box#1: Definitions ofPsychology
-------------------------------------------------
• Psychology is the science of the activities of individual in relation to the environment (Woodworth).
-------------------------------------------------
• Psychology is the positive science of behaviour (Watson).
-------------------------------------------------
• Psychology is the science of human behaviour and experience (Cruze).-------------------------------------------------
• Psychology is the science of mental activity of an organism (Guilford).
-------------------------------------------------
• According to Charles E. Skinner, psychology deals with the responses to any and every kind of situation that life presents. By responses or behaviour is meant all forms of processes, adjustments, activities, andexperiences of the organism.

Behaviour refers to all the actions or reactions of an organism (person or animal) in response to external or internal stimuli. The behaviour of an individual, in a broad sense, refers to anything the individual does. According to Leagans (1961), behaviour refers to what an individual knows (Knowledge), what s/he can do (skill – mental or physical), what s/he thinks(attitude), and what s/he actually does.
Behaviour may be simple or complex, short or enduring. Human behaviour may be overt (expressed outside) or covert (expressed inside). While symbolic adoption is an example of covert behaviour, use adoption is an example of overt behaviour. Both overt and covert behaviour can be measured.
People who study psychological phenomena are not necessarilylimited to the study of human beings only; they also study the behaviour of animals. They study the behaviour and mental processes of individual not of group/community. Thus, when they are studying groups, the focus is generally on how individuals perform within the group rather than the study of the group as a whole.

-------------------------------------------------
What is education?
Inorder to know the educational psychology; we have to first understand what is education.
The word education is derived from Latin word educare which means to bring-up. Education is also derived from another Latin word educere which means to lead out. Education as educere is more acceptable as it means leading an individual from ignorance to knowledge.
Education can be defined as the process ofimparting or acquiring knowledge and habits through instruction or study. It can also be defined as a process in which human behaviour is modified so as to be in closer agreement with some model or ideal determined by the values of society.
If education is to be effective, it should result in changes in all the behavioural components.

-------------------------------------------------...