What is Psychology?

The word psychology has had several different meanings from ancient to modern times. Here is its present definition:

Psychology is the science that studies the behavior of organisms.

- Three words in the definition merit special attention:

Science
Modern psychology is considered a science because it bases its conclusions on data, information obtained by systematic observations. 

Behavior
Behavior has three aspects: 
1- cognitive processes
2- emotional states
3- actions. 
Cognitive processes refer to what an individual thinks. 
Emotional states refer to what an individual feels. 
Actions refer to what an individual does.

Organisms
An organism is any living creature. Consequently, the behavior of dogs, rats, pigeons, and monkeys can be legitimately included in the study of psychology. Such organisms have indeed been subjects in psychology experiments. 
However, traditionally the principal focus of psychology has been humans. When animals are used in experiments, the implicit goal is often to explore how such basic processes as learning and motivation, as studied in animals, can cast a light on our understanding of human behavior.


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