The document outlines 17 fields of psychology including experimental psychology which studies basic psychological processes through laboratory research, physiological psychology which emphasizes the biological basis of behavior, and comparative psychology which examines similarities and differences in animal and human psychology. Other fields discussed are personality, social, developmental, clinical, counseling, school, educational, industrial/organizational, engineering, environmental, health, computer science, forensic, human factors, sports, abnormal, and cross-cultural psychology.

1. Fields of Psychology
Experimental Psychology: This field of psychology is primarily concerned with laboratory
research on basic psychological processes including perception, learning, memory, thinking,
language, motivation and emotion.
Physiological Psychology: This is the field that emphasizes the biological basis of overt
behavior and mental processes.
Comparative Psychology: This field studies similarities and differences in the psychology,
behavior and abilities of animals, including human beings.
Personality Psychology: It focuses on factors accounting for the differences in behavior and
enduring personal characteristics among individuals.
Social Psychology: It looks at the influence of social situations on human thoughts and
actions. It examines the effects that people have on one another.
Developmental Psychology: This field studies physical, cognitive and psychological changes
across the life span.
Clinical Psychology: This field of psychology applies psychological principles to the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders.
Counseling Psychology: This is the field that applies psychological principles to help
individuals deal with personal problems, generally less severe ones than those seen by clinical
psychologist.
Psychiatry: This field of medicine diagnoses and treats psychological disorders by using
medical or psychological forms of therapy.
School of Psychology: This field applies psychological principles to improving the academic
performance and social behavior of students in elementary and high school.
Educational Psychology: It applies psychological principles to improving curriculum, teaching
methods, and administrative procedures.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology: This applies psychological principles to improve
productivity in business, industries and government agencies.
Engineering Psychology: This field applies psychological principles to the design of equipment
and instruments.
Environmental Psychology: This field applies psychological principles to improve the physical
environment including the design of buildings and the reduction of noise, crowding and other
sources of stress.
Health Psychology: This is the field that applies psychological principles to the prevention and
treatment of physical illness.
Computer Science: This area involves planning the design and data analysis or experiments
that require the kind of complex calculations that can only be done with ease on a computer.
Psychologist may work in the area of artificial intelligence which uses computers to perform the
kind of intellectual tasks that are considered characteristics of human thought.
Forensic Psychology: Forensic psychology is defined as the intersection of psychology and the
law, but forensic psychologists can perform many roles so this definition can vary.
Human Factors Psychology: Human factors is an area of psychology that focuses on a range
of different topics, including ergonomics, workplace safety, human error, product design,
human capability and human-computer interaction.
Sports Psychology: Sports psychology is the study of how psychology influences sports,
athletic performance, exercise and physical activity.
Abnormal Psychology: Abnormal psychology is a field of psychology that deals with
psychopathology and abnormal behavior.

2. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Cross-cultural psychology is a branch of psychology that looks at
how cultural factors influence human behavior.