2.9. Put sentences as they go in the text.

1. I also spend a lot of time with my girlfriend Ann. 2. The professor is never late for his classes. 3. Twice a week I play basketball with my friends, I swim once a week. 4. I wake up at seven in the morning. 5. To cover some expenses I have got to work part-time on campus. 6. I work in the University cafeteria. 7. I was born in the small town in neighboring state Ohio, in the suburbs of Cleveland. 8. My family is not very wealthy and cannot pay for my tuition. 9. Then I dress myself up and rush to work – to the University cafeteria.10. I have taken only four classes in the first fall semester. 11 My first class starts at 11:15. 12. Then I have two more classes. 13. Therefore I need to collect credits starting from the freshman year. 14. Twice a week I play basketball with my friends, I swim once a week. 15. There are several required classes for graduation I spend some weekends visiting my grandmother and my grandfather. 16. I have dinner at 6 p.m. at the little Chinese restaurant not too far from the dormitory. 17. I usually read before I go to bed. 18. But still I decided to take Biology, History of Psychology, History of Culture and Russian Language. 19. It calms me down after a long day.

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3. The science of psychology

Psychology is first of all a science. Like all sciences, it relies on empirical data: information that has been systematically observed, measured, and recorded. This information is used to test predictions about behaviour and mental processes.

Psychology is also a means of promoting human welfare. Research that is purposely directed toward this goal is called applied science. In contrast, research conducted purely to add to our store of knowledge is called basic science. Sometimes, however, basic science leads to practical applications.

The founder of psychology is generally considered to be Wilhelm Wundt, who in the late nineteenth century created a laboratory to explore human consciousness. Wundt and his students conducted studies on a broad range of topics. Their efforts to use precise and systematic methods launched psychology as a science.

Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution sparked psychologists investigation into the adaptive functions of psychological processes, thus launching the movement called functionalism. The functionalists, whose leading exponent was William James, saw mental life as helping an organism adapt to and cope with its environment.

The behaviorists insisted that psychology relies only on data that can be empirically measured. The pioneering work of Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, E.L.Thorndike, and B.F.Skinner helped to spark interest in how learned associations give rise to specific responses. In the United States, the study of how rewards and punishments control behaviour became the hallmark of behaviorism.

In contrast to the behaviorists' focus on observable behaviour, the practitioners of Gestalt psychology stressed how the mind integrates pieces of information into meaningful wholes. Their emphasis on this important process formed the basis for the modern study of perception.

Cognitive psychologists have broadened the study of mental processes to include such topics as concept formation, problem solving, decision making, and the use of language. Cognitive processes have now become a very important area of psychological research.

Sigmund Freud emphasized the role of the unconscious in personality development. He felt that unconscious conflicts can be deprived of their power to dominate a person's life if they are brought into awareness through a process called psychoanalysis. While few psychologists wholly accept Freud's ideas today, his influence on twentieth-century thought has been profound.

Humanists have reacted against the deterministic views of both behaviorism and Freudian psychology. They maintain that people are free to become whatever they are capable of being. Humanists have developed forms of psychotherapy that stress the potential for self-fulfillment and growth.

Contemporary psychology has so many subfields that its practitioners have been forced – like those of every other science – to become specialists. Experimental psychologists rely largely on laboratory experiments to investigate basic behavioral processes, such as sensation, perception, memory, and learning. Physiological psychologists study the biological basis of behaviour, especially the nervous and endocrine systems. Personality psychologists measure and explain individual differences in behaviour, while developmental psychologists seek to explore changes throughout the life cycle. Social psychologists look at the influence of social situations on human thought and actions, while clinical psychologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of behaviour disorders Educational and school psychologists are concerned with the processes of formal education, and industrial and organizational psychologists focus on the relationship between people and their work.

In addition to the long-established subfields of psychology, new ones are emerging. These include health psychology, artificial intelligence (AI), organizational and policy research, together with program evaluation, and war and peace research.

Different subfields of psychology and different perspectives within each one, can all provide valuable insights into any given psychological issue. Rather than thinking of these different viewpoints as challenging one another, it is better to think of them as each contributing different pieces to a larger puzzle. In addition to being very useful in many careers you might pursue, psychology has practical value as a perspective on human behaviour. It can help you answer many questions you have asked about yourself and others. It can also help you be more perceptive in evaluating psychological information you read and hear about.