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Definition of Educational Psychology

In developing a definition of educational psychology, Mayer (1987, pp. 45) began by distinguishing between the behavioral and cognitive approaches to the discipline. The behaviorist approach involves determining the relationships between instructional manipulations and outcome performance. The cognitive approach, by contrast, involves the determination of relationships between external and internal factors. External factors include both instructional manipulation and outcome performance, while internal factors include learning processes, learning outcomes, existing learner knowledge, and existing learner skills.

Mayer (1987, p. 7) adopted the cognitive approach in defining educational psychology. Educational psychology, thus, includes the variables considered in the behavioral approach. In stead of emphasizing the relationships between these two factors, however, the emphasis in on the relationships between these two factors as a group and the several internal factors learning processes, and so forth.

Experimental psychology, in one context, may be contrasted with observational psychology (Chaplin, 1989, p. 425). In the conduct of observational psychology, the social scientist is involved in the passive process of recording and interpreting the interactions between variables (Chaplin, 1989, p. 425). By contrast, in the conduct of in experimental psychology, the social scientist is involved in an active process that includes the manipulation of one or more variables to be able to observe

the effect that such manipulation has on the other variables being studied (Chaplin, 1989, p. 425).

Distinguishing between experimental psychology and educational psychology, thus, requires a determination of the role of the educational psychologist in the conduct of educational research. Mayer (1987, p. 7) stated that educational psychology investigate's the instructor's manipulation of the learning environment, and that this br...

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Definition of Educational Psychology. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 11:40, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1683858.html