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.