psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both conscious and unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feelings, and motives. Psychology is an academic discipline of broad scope, crossing the boundaries between the natural and social sciences. Biological psychologists seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains, linking the discipline to neuroscience. As social scientists, psychologists aim to understand the behavior of individuals and groups.

AI overview

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, examining everything from conscious thoughts and feelings to unconscious processes in both humans and animals. It matters because psychologists use scientific methods to understand how individual minds work and how people behave in social groups, bridging insights from biology and neuroscience with social science perspectives.

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Research

2,031,334 papers

Choosing Prediction Over Explanation in Psychology: Lessons From Machine Learning.ReviewPerspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2017Yarkoni T, Westfall JDOI: 10.1177/1745691617693393
Evidence-based practice in psychology.The American psychologist · 2006APA Presidential Task Force on Evidence-Based PracticeDOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.271
Psychology's Renaissance.ReviewAnnual review of psychology · 2018Nelson LD, Simmons J, Simonsohn UDOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011836
Psychology's Replication Crisis and Clinical Psychological Science.ReviewAnnual review of clinical psychology · 2019Tackett JL, Brandes CM, King KM et al.DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050718-095710
The chronospatial revolution in psychology.ReviewNature human behaviour · 2025Atari M, Henrich J, Schulz JDOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02229-y
Social Psychology of and for World-Making.Personality and social psychology review : an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc · 2023Power SA, Zittoun T, Akkerman S et al.DOI: 10.1177/10888683221145756
Negative vs. Positive Psychology: a Review of Science of Well-Being.ReviewIntegrative psychological & behavioral science · 2024Abbas A, Ekowati D, Suhariadi F et al.DOI: 10.1007/s12124-022-09708-1
Positive Psychology Practices in Muslim Communities: A Systematic Review.Journal of religion and health · 2025Anlı GDOI: 10.1007/s10943-025-02357-9

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: Psychology
Commons gallery: Psychology
Stack Exchange site URL: psychology.stackexchange.com
social media followers: 1569362

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~114 min read

Article

59 sections

Contents

Etymology and definitions
History
Beginning of experimental psychology
Consolidation and funding
Women in psychology
1900–1949
1950–1999
21st century
Disciplinary organizations
Institutions
Boundaries
Major schools of thought
Biological
Behaviorist
Cognitive
Social
Psychoanalytic
Existential-humanistic
Themes
Personality
Unconscious mind
Motivation
Development psychology
Genes and environment
Applications
Psychological testing
Mental health care
Education
Work
Military and intelligence
Health, well-being, and social change
Social change
Medical applications
Worker health, safety and wellbeing
Occupational health psychology
Research methods
Controlled experiments
Other types of studies
Direct brain observation/manipulation
Computer simulation
Animal studies
Qualitative research
Program evaluation
Contemporary issues
Metascience
Confirmation bias
Replication
Misuse of statistics
WEIRD bias
STRANGE bias
Unscientific mental health training
Ethics
Ethics with Humans
Ethics with other animals
See Also
References
Sources
Further reading
External links

A professional practitioner or researcher involved in the discipline is called a psychologist. Some psychologists can also be classified as behavioral or cognitive scientists. Some psychologists attempt to understand the role of mental functions in individual and social behavior. Others explore the physiological and neurobiological processes that underlie cognitive functions and behaviors.