PSYC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter Online Lesson: Human Factors And Ergonomics, Natural Selection, Scientific Method

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

After working through this lesson"s material, you should be able to: Summarize how psychology is relevant to many different professions. Identify several fields in which psychologists may work research, teaching, service provision, administration, and consulting. Empiricism - what we can observe and measure. The belief that questions can be answered by observing facts and experiences. Example = a psychophysical approach focusing on sensation and perception might explain why the grocery bags feel heavier as you get closer to your car, for example. A psychophysicist might measure the bags" weight as well as your perception of heaviness at various points as you walk to your car from the store. Rationalism - the belief that questions can be answered through logic and reason. Explain structuralism and functionalism in relation to empiricism. Structuralism - the belief that questions can be answered by looking at the smallest piece of a phenomenon, and that by understanding all the parts, you will understand the whole.