Educational Psychology :: essays research papers fc

Educational Psychology     ?     Mr. ?     Psychology     16 Oct. 1996     The field of psychology that deals with the ability to solve educationalproblems and to improve educational situations is the field of educationalpsychology. Educational psychology is sometimes referred to as an applied field,meaning, one in which the objective is to solve immediate practical problems(James 29).     The beginnings of educational psychology were initiated by Aristotle inhis formulation of the laws of association. These laws similarity, contrast,and contiguity, supplemented by frequency, are the beginnings to an experimentalscience (Piaget 9). As the science began to develop, the educationalpsychologists did little more than administer mental tests, which started withthe Stanford-Binet test (IQ test). Today, the science has been expand toinclude counseling bookmans, teachers, administrators, and parents, in an effortto help make the school environment one which is most effective in promotinglearning. As an example, if a student in school commits a disciplinary action,instead of being indiscriminately punished, that student would be sent to seethe school psychologist to find out the causes of the students misbehaviour anddeal with them accordingly (Frandsen 92).     Though studies of educational surveys, there were nine major factorsthat increased learning. These nine factors can be placed into three groupsstudent aptitude, instruction, and mental environments. Student aptitudeincludes (1) ability or prior achievement as measured by score on educationaltest (2) development as indexed by chronological age or stage of maturationand (3) motivation or self-concept as shown by personality tests and studentsperseverance on learning tasks. statement can be thought of as (4) the amountof time students engage in learning and (5) the quality of the instructionalexperience. Psychological environments include (6) the "curriculum of thehome," (7) the esprit de corps of the classroom social group, (8) the peer group outsideschool, and (9) the amount of leisure-time television viewing. These are thefactors that influence academic achievement and behavioral learning (A.A.E. 66).     Educational psychology does not only hold true for humans, but also foranimals. Ivan Pavlov displayed the principle of association by applying it tothe salivary reflex. He trained his dogs to salivate at the croak of a bellalone if previously they had so responded to meat and the bell together. Inanother case, B. F. Skinner trained pigeons to play a form of panel tennis byrewarding the birds with food pellets each time they hit a ball into adesignated trough (James 66).     This area of psychology is used right away to teach specific subjects such asforeign languages, arithmetic and mathematics, reading, writing, spelling, andthe sciences. However, teaching of these subject requires a person that