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Modern Trends in Psychology

• Dr. Samah Mahmoud, an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, presented on modern trends in psychology.

Definition of Psychology

• Psychology is the study of behavior.
• Behavior encompasses all aspects of human activity and observable actions.
• Behavior has three facets:
  • Cognitive/Mental: This involves mental processes like thinking, attention, memory, perception, problem-solving, and creativity.
  • Emotional/Affective: This involves studying emotions and personality traits, including disorders.
  • Motor/Behavioral: This focuses on motor skills and physical activity.

Educational Psychology

• Educational psychology applies psychological principles to learning situations, specifically focusing on human behavior during learning.
• It examines individual and group learning, explores learning theories, and identifies learning methods.
• It also involves developing, improving teaching models, diagnosing learning difficulties, and understanding the factors influencing learning.

Nature of Learning

• Learning is a hypothetical concept describing a biological process occurring within an organism.
• It's evident from observable actions.
• Learning is continuous and begins at birth, extending throughout life.

Definition of Learning

• Learning is a more or less permanent change in behavior resulting from experience, practice, and training.
• Learning is not easily observable.
• It is a complex process.

Conditions for Learning

• Learning involves factors like:
  • Maturity: The biological readiness of the learner.
  • Motivation: The internal drive or desire to learn.
  • Practice: The repetitive engagement with the learning material.

Maturity

• Maturity refers to internal changes within an organism that arise from its own physiological and, especially, its nervous system development.
• Environmental factors do not significantly affect or create these changes.

Types of Maturity

• Cognitive/Mental Maturity: Describes the development of understanding.
• Emotional/Behavioral Maturity: Refers to emotional and social development.
• Physical Maturity: Encompasses physical growth and development.
• Social Maturity: Involves the development of social skills.

Differences between Learning and Practice

• Practice involves guided repetition with feedback to correct errors and enhance performance.
• Repetition alone without guidance isn't practice.

Methods of Practice

• Distributed Practice: Short, frequent sessions with rest periods. Useful for difficult material.
• Massed Practice: Long, continuous sessions with short breaks. Suitable for easy material and motivated learners.

Student Motivation

• Motivation is the driving force behind a student's actions and choices related to their studies.
• It can be influenced by internal factors, like desires and goals.

Motivation Functions

• Activation: Initiates or strengthens the behavior.
• Direction: Guides the behavior towards a goal.
• Perseverance: Maintains the behavior until the goal is met.

Types of Motivation

• Primary/Biological Motives: Basic needs (e.g., hunger).
• Secondary/Social Motives: Learned or acquired needs (e.g., achievement).

Issues Related to Reduced Student Motivation

• Distractions in the learning environment.
• Non-compliance in class.
• Attendance problems.
• Academic failures.
• Lack of desire for learning that is not connected to goals.

Improving Motivation

• Positive reinforcement strengthens the learning behavior.
• Provide role models to emulate.
• Understand a student's needs and developmental stage.
• Support the student's achievements.