Psychology For Kids: The Science of the Mind and Behavior
Part 1 EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGY
Chapter 1 WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY Why do optical illusions trick us Do other people feel and think the same way you do Can animals be taught language Why do you sleep You can explore these questions and many others through the fascinating science of psychology What exactly is psychology One common definition describes psychology as the science of the mind and behavior In your mind you experience emotions thoughts and the reasons for doing what you do these are actions that other people can’t see Behavior is how a person or animal acts Behaviors are actions that other people can see such as recycling doing homework exercising talking and making faces Psychologists are interested in how the mind powers behaviors and how behaviors relate to the world around you 8 Exploring Psychology
WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS DO You might already know what some psychologists do School psychologists for example evaluate students who are having any sort of difficulty at school such as problems with learning or behavior But there are lots of other kinds of psychologists some who do research and some who apply research findings in different settings Let’s learn about the work of a few real-life psychologists Dr Tim Nichols studied how people use video games For example when you fail at a video game what makes you try again I am passionate about understanding technology’s role in satisfying fundamental human needs like connecting with others personal growth escapism and showing off pictures of their dogs I like figuring out why people do what they do and I love building great teams of smart researchers who are passionate about the same When I tell people I work in video games and that I have a doctorate in research psychology they usually wait for the punch line FAIL Dr Johan Lundström’s research looked at how people responded to smells Is that smelly cheese or vomit If you are blindfolded when you take a sniff your answer will depend on what you’re told Your sense of smell depends on what you know and what you think 9 What Is Psychology
