Psychology is the
scientific study of
mind and
behavior. Psychology includes the study of
conscious and
unconscious phenomena, including
feelings and
thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between the
natural and
social sciences. 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.
Ψ (psi), the first
letter of the Greek word psyche from which the term psychology is derived (see below), is commonly associated with the science.
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.
The hard–easy effect is a
cognitive bias that manifests itself as a tendency to overestimate the probability of one's success at a task perceived as hard, and to underestimate the likelihood of one's success at a task perceived as easy. The hard-easy effect takes place, for example, when individuals exhibit a degree of underconfidence in answering relatively easy questions and a degree of overconfidence in answering relatively difficult questions. "Hard tasks tend to produce overconfidence but worse-than-average perceptions," reported Katherine A. Burson, Richard P. Larrick, and Jack B. Soll in a 2005 study, "whereas easy tasks tend to produce underconfidence and better-than-average effects."
The hard-easy effect falls under the umbrella of "
social comparison theory", which was originally formulated by
Leon Festinger in 1954. Festinger argued that individuals are driven to evaluate their own opinions and abilities accurately, and social comparison theory explains how individuals carry out those evaluations by comparing themselves to others. (Full article...)
French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel (1745-1826) releasing people from their chains at the Salpêtrière asylum in Paris in 1795 (painting by
Tony Robert-Fleury)
... that after early professional success as a
snooker player, Patsy Fagan developed a psychological block when using the
rest and never won another major tournament?
... that Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Rawlins proposed that the Rhodesian Army employ witchdoctors as psychological warfare during the
Rhodesian Bush War?
... that the first day of filming of the psychological thriller Farah coincided with the beginning of the
2019 Lebanese protests?
... that architect Robert Marquis believed that architecture should meet "the users' spiritual and psychological needs" in addition to being functional?
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