Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. It's a scientific discipline, grounded in empirical evidence (i.e., data gathered through observation or experimentation). So when we're talking about "pop psychology," which offers appealing but unsubstantiated explanations, it doesn't fall under the scope of this definition.

Example: Imagine you read an online article that says, "If you dream about flying, it means you're craving freedom in your life!" This may sound cool, but it's not scientific psychology unless there's empirical evidence to support it.

• Empirical Evidence: Theories or studies must be based on empirical evidence—information that's been collected through observation or experimentation.

• Falsifiability: A theory or study should be possible to be proven wrong. This is an essential component of scientific investigations—giving a fair chance to the possibility that our ideas may be incorrect.

• Replication: There should be a history of independent attempts to test the theory or replicate the study. This ensures that findings are reliable and not just a one-time fluke.

Real-world Example: Say there's a theory that "listening to classical music increases concentration." To check its validity, researchers would conduct an experiment and gather empirical evidence. They would also design the study in a way that if the theory is wrong, it can be proven so (falsifiability). Lastly, different researchers would attempt to conduct the same study to check if they get similar results (replication).

You can create research studies around interesting questions like

Do children who watch more violent TV shows become more violent?

Are people in arranged marriages happier than people who married by choice?

Remember, to conduct a good research study, you need to think about the details such as your participants, their requirements, how to measure results, and how to ensure the results are believable.

This is the story of Clever Hans, a horse that was believed to be able to perform arithmetic calculations and understand German. However, a psychologist named Oskar Pfungst found out that Hans was just reacting to visual cues from the people around him, not doing math or understanding language. Pfungst's rigorous testing methods set the bar for experimental methodology in psychology.

The takeaway from the Clever Hans story is that claims need to be scientifically tested using evidence-based investigations, and that experiments need to be carefully controlled to avoid misinterpretation of results.

Psychology uses empirical approaches (based on observation) to research both behaviour and mental processes. Behaviour includes overt actions, facial expressions, verbal responses, etc., while mental processes refer to internal information processing patterns like attention, perception, and memory. While we can't directly observe mental processes, we can infer them from behavior.

Example: If you see your friend frowning, sighing, and spending less time with others (observable behaviors), you might infer they are feeling sad or depressed (mental process).

It's important to note that psychology doesn't only deal with humans. Research with non-human animals is also an integral part, as it can inform our understanding of human behaviour and mental processes. Additionally, psychology extends beyond academics and research to include practical fields such as counselling and psychotherapy. However, the International Baccalaureate (IB) psychology program focuses on academic knowledge and scientific research to build a foundation for understanding psychological concepts.