Psychology The Study of Human Behaviour

includes index and biblioraphy

I. Curiosity of man to study himself 1. Introduction ...3-26 What is psychology ? ...3 Nature and definition ...4 Best definition ...6 Some fallacies about psychology or psychologists ? ...7 Subject matter and scope ...8 Is psychology a science ...9 Nature of psychology as a science ...9 Is psychology a natural science ...10 Goals or objectives of psychology ...11 Sub-fields or branches of psychology ...13 Psychology and life ...18 Relationship of psychology with other disciplines ...19 Psychology today ...22 New frontiers of psychology ...23 2. Historical perspectives of modern psychology ....27-43 Founding ideas of ancient times ...27 Ancient Greeks views ...27 Philosophical roots ...28 Biological roots ...29 Beginning of experimental psychology ...30 Schools of psychology ...31 Modern perspectives in psychology current views ...39 Psychology tomorrow ...40 Milestones in th history of psychology ...41 3. Methodology of psychology ...44-65 Meaning of method ...44 Characteristics of a scientific method ...45 Nature of psychological data ...47 Description of major methods of psychology ...48 Conclusive remarks regarding different methods of psychology ...64 II. Biology of behaviour 4. Biological bases of behaviour ...69-109 Evolutionary perspectives ...70 Genes and behaviour ...72 Nature and nurture controversy ...73 Inherited structures ...75 Nervous system ...75 Neurons as building blocks ...76 Monitoring of natiral activities ...78 Division of nervous system ...82 The endocrine system ...104 5. Socio-cultural bases of behaviour ...110-125 Socialization and culture ...110 Accultration ...119 Relationship between behaviour and socio-cultural environment ...120 Social structure ...121 Social class ...123 Social class and behaviour ...123 III. Knowing the world around us 6. Sensory process and psychophysics ...129-150 Receptors and effectors ...129 Sensory processes ...132 Sensory channel: Processing ...135 Psychophysical rlations and methods of study ...137 Some important concepts of psychophysics ...141 Weber`s law ..143 Gustav fechner`s law (1860) ...144 Steven`s power law ...144 Modern psychophysics ...146 7. Visual and other sensory processes ...151-179 Visual sensation ...151 Duplicity theory of vision ...157 Colour vision ...158 Theories of colour vision ...165 Current trends in understanding colours ...168 The auditory sensation ...168 Theories of hearing (audotion) ...172 Current trends ...175 Other senses ...175 8. Perceptual processes ...180-227 Nature and definition of perception ...180 Characteristics of perception ...182 Processes involved in perception ...184 Difference between perception and sensation ...186 Difference between peception and attention ...187 Organizational processing in perception ...190 Theories of perception or points o views towards oerceptual phnomenon ...191 Comparison between gestaltist and behaviouristic approaches to prception ...195 Perceptual organization (grouping) ...196 Figure and ground perception ...201 Contour ...203 Perceptual constancy (stability) ...204 Factors of perception ...206 The perceiver`s (personal) factors ...208 Social factors ...212 Perceptual defence ...213 Perceptual vigilance ...214 Visual space perception ...214 Stereoscopic vision ...218 Perception of motion ...218 Space perception of sound ...220 Perception of time ...221 Illusions ...223 Hallucinations ....225 Extra sensory perception (ESP) ...226 9. Attentional process ...228-243 Nature and definition . IV Modification of behaviour 10. Learning ...247-280 11. Some other principles (theories) and aspects of learning ...281-381 V. Memory Process 12. Remembering and forgetting VI. Symbolic processes 13. Thinking ...367-418 VII. Conative aspects of behaviour 14. Motivation ...421-460 VIII. Affective processes 15. Emotion ...463-488 IX. Individal differences 16. Intlligence 17. Personality ...529-586