Editing Mind (section)

=== Psychology ===
{{main|Psychology}}

Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. It investigates conscious and unconscious mental phenomena, including perception, memory, feeling, thought, decision, intelligence, and [[personality]]. It is further interested in their outward manifestation in the form of observable behavioral patterns, studying how these patterns depend on external circumstances and are shaped by learning.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Gross|2020|pp=1–3}} | {{harvnb|Friedenberg|Silverman|Spivey|2022|pp=15–16}} }}</ref> Psychology is a wide discipline that includes many subfields. [[Cognitive psychology]] is interested in higher-order mental activities like thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, and concept formation.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Dawson|2022|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QGeEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA161 161–162]}} | {{harvnb|Gross|2020|pp=4–6}} }}</ref> [[Biological psychology]] seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms on the physiological level and how they depend on genetic transmission and the environment.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Higgs|Cooper|Lee|2019|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=rkewDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3 3–4]}} | {{harvnb|Gross|2020|pp=4–8}} }}</ref> [[Developmental psychology]] studies the development of the mind from childhood to old age while [[social psychology]] examines the influence of social contexts on mind and behavior.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Gross|2020|pp=4–6}} | {{harvnb|Thornton|Gliga|2020|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_h9HEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA35 35]}} | {{harvnb|Sharma|Sharma|1997|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=8k7kK_J_MM4C&pg=PA7 7–9]}} }}</ref> [[Personality psychology]] investigates personality, exploring how characteristic patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior develop and vary among individuals.<ref>{{harvnb|American Psychological Association|2018|loc=[https://dictionary.apa.org/personality § Personality], [https://dictionary.apa.org/personality-psychology § Personality Psychology]}}</ref> Further subfields include [[comparative psychology|comparative]], [[clinical psychology|clinical]], [[educational psychology|educational]], [[occupational psychology|occupational]], and [[neuropsychology]].<ref>{{harvnb|Gross|2020|pp=4–8}}</ref> As a scientific discipline, [[History of psychology|psychology emerged]] at the end of the 19th century from the experimental work of [[Wilhelm Wundt]] (1832–1920). Early schools of thought included [[Structuralism (psychology)|structuralism]], [[psychoanalysis]], [[Gestalt psychology]], [[Functional psychology|functionalism]], and [[behaviorism]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Nairne|2011|pp=11–14}} | {{harvnb|Bernstein|Nash|2006|pp=10–13}} }}</ref>

Psychologists use a great variety of methods to study the mind. Experimental approaches set up a controlled situation, either in the laboratory or the field, in which they modify [[independent variable]]s and measure their effects on [[dependent variable]]s.{{efn|[[Psychometrics]] examines how to measure the mental attributes or psychological constructs underlying the variables. For example, [[IQ tests]] are one way to quantify intelligence.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Nairne|2011|pp=313, 322–323}} | {{harvnb|American Psychological Association|2018|loc=[https://dictionary.apa.org/psychometrics § Psychometrics]}} }}</ref>}} This approach makes it possible to identify [[Causality|causal relations]] between the variables. For example, to determine whether people with similar interests (independent variable) are more likely to become friends (dependent variable), participants in a study could be paired with either similar or dissimilar participants. After giving the pairs time to interact, it is assessed whether the members of similar pairs have more positive attitudes toward one another than the members of dissimilar pairs.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hood|2013|pp=1314–1315}} | {{harvnb|Dumont|2008|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MP5X2SK2DCgC&pg=PA17 17, 48]}} | {{harvnb|Howitt|Cramer|2011|pp=16–17}} }}</ref>

[[Correlation]]al methods examine the strength of association between two variables without establishing a causal relationship between them.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Dumont|2008|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MP5X2SK2DCgC&pg=PA17 17, 48]}} | {{harvnb|Howitt|Cramer|2011|pp=11–12}} }}</ref> The [[Survey (human research)|survey method]] presents participants with a list of questions aimed at eliciting information about their mental attitudes, behavior, and other relevant factors. It analyzes how participants respond to questions and how answers to different questions correlate with one another.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Howitt|Cramer|2011|pp=232–233}} | {{harvnb|Dumont|2008|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MP5X2SK2DCgC&pg=PA27 27–28]}} }}</ref> Surveys usually have a large number of participants in contrast to [[case studies]], which focus on an in-depth examination of a single subject or a small group of subjects, often to examine rare phenomena or explore new fields.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Howitt|Cramer|2011|pp=232–233, 294–295}} | {{harvnb|Dumont|2008|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MP5X2SK2DCgC&pg=PA29 29–30]}} }}</ref> Further methods include [[longitudinal studies]], [[naturalistic observation]], and [[Phenomenology (psychology)|phenomenological]] description of experience.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Howitt|Cramer|2011|pp=220–221, 383–384}} | {{harvnb|Dumont|2008|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MP5X2SK2DCgC&pg=PA28 28]}} }}</ref>