Psychological Research Areas
Social and Personality
Social psychology – involves the study of
social interactions, stereotypes, prejudices,
attitudes, conformity, group behaviours,
and aggression
Personality psychology – involves the
study of personality development,
personality change, assessment, and
abnormal behaviours
Developmental Psychology
Examines moral, social, emotional, and
cognitive development throughout a
person’s entire life
Some Dev. Psychologists focus on changes
in infancy, some through adolescence,
some adulthood, and some old age
Experimental Psychology
Includes areas of sensation, perception,
learning, human performance, motivation
and emotion
Conduct much of their work in controlled
laboratory conditions with both animal and
human subjects
Biological psychology
Involves research on the physical and
chemical changes that occur during stress,
learning, and emotions, as well as how our
genetic makeup, brain, and nervous system
interact with our environments and
influence our behaviours
Work in academic settings, hospitals, and
private research labs
Cognitive psychology
Involves how we process, store, and
retrieve information and how cognitive
processes influence our behaviours
Includes; memory, thinking, language,
creativity, and decision making
New area – artificial intelligence
Psychometrics
Focuses on the measurement of people’s
abilities, skills, intelligence, personality,
and abnormal behaviours.
Tests must be continually updated
Some test people’s skills and abilities, as
well as predict future performance