WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS DO?

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Largest group Help people with psychological problems Trained to evaluate psy problems though interviews and psy tests Help clients understand their problems and resolve them by changing ineffective or harmful behaviors Some divide work between practice, teaching, and research NOT PSYCHIATRISTS!

COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS Also use interviews and psy tests Help adjustment problems not disorders (career decisions/ relationship problems) Clarify goals and meet challenges

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS Help students who have problems interfering with learning Identify these students by talking with teachers, parents, and the student Administer tests (intelligence or achievement) Suggest placement in classes (higher or lower)

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Study changes that occur throughout the lifespan Physical, emotional, cognitive, social Attempt to sort out relative influences of heredity or environment Challenges with adolescence What are the causes of depression and suicide among teens?

PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGISTS Identify characteristics or traits Shyness, friendliness, etc. Also concerned with issues such as anxiety, aggression, and gender roles (factors within)

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Concerned with people’s behavior in social situations Looks for external factors that explain behavior How do men and women typically behave in a certain situation How people’s behavior changes when they are in a group The situations in which people act aggressively and those in which they help others

EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGISTS Conduct research into basic processes such as the functions of the nervous system or learning and memory, etc. Some focus just on biological processes Do basic research (no immediate application, do it for its own sake)

OTHERS INCLUDE Industrial and Organizational Environmental Consumer Forensic Health Sports