Discussion Board Essay

Discussion Board

Psychology as a field of science is much younger compared to other sciences. It was not until the mid-1800’s that psychology separated from philosophy and began a scientific approach. It has been over a century since that time, but in that short amount of time our lives have greatly improved. Even though life went on before psychology existed and things were okay, life would be much more bleak and difficult today had the field of psychology never been properly developed.

The four key goals of psychological science are to describe, explain, predict and to control. With these in mind, great advancements have been made and currently are being made in the field of psychology. An important concept in psychology that has improved

Essentially, cognitive psychology is the study of how people think. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are the two main contributors to this field. What we know today about child development and how learning works is in part due to the work in this field. Vygotsky made leaps and bounds when he observed [CONCEPT] scaffolding. Scaffolding is a series of supports (in the form of a mentor or expert who creates foundations) a novice can use as a guide through a subject or new topic. Whether it was a medieval blacksmith teaching a student how to work an anvil by first teaching them how to use a hammer, or an archer teaching people how to shoot a bow by first teaching them how to hold it, the idea of scaffolding has existed even before the field of psychology existed. But now it was defined and able to be scientifically observed. With the advancements cognitive psychology has made, we understand how children develop, how we learn, and the most effective ways to do so. This improves our lives as we develop the best practices to raise competent youth and, in turn, a more advanced

In the ebook, social psychology is “the study of how social situations and cultures in which people live influence their thinking, feelings and behavior.” The difference between cultures is easy to observe - America, a [CONCEPT] individualist nation, prioritizes the individual and independence. For example, we have our own “bubbles”, and we dislike it when others invade our personal space. However, in several Middle Eastern countries (several of which can be coined as [CONCEPT] collectivist,) it is perfectly normal to hold hands with close friends and be physically intimate. We as humans are affected by culture in every aspect. Social psychologists inquire into several questions - how do people perceive themselves in relation to others? How do people influence each other's behavior? What are the significant cultural differences between nations? With the information gathered from the research in social psychology, interaction between humans across the whole world has greatly improved and continues to grow. Without social psychology, the world’s political and economical state may be completely