Technical English for

Psychologists

LISTENING: BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

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1. You’re going to listen to a lecture about branches of psychology. Before you do, look
quickly in the script below (in exercise 2) for the words in bold that have the
following meanings. Don’t read the whole text; just try to find the words.

a) to evolve

b) preoccupied/focused

c) a use/ a function

d) method

e) illnesses

f) questionnaires

g) bad influences from friends

h) interactions between people

i) familiar to many people

j) an emotional state

k) academic investigation

l) a specific area of study inside a more general area

2. Listen to the lecture and complete the gaps in the script below.

Good morning. In this lecture, I'm going to talk about some of the different branches of
psychology. Broadly speaking, there are five main branches: social psychology,
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_________________, developmental psychology, personality psychology and

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2
_________________ psychology. Within these branches there are other more
specialized fields. I'm going to describe each of these branches and some of their
subfields.

The first branch I'm going to talk about is social psychology. This branch is concerned
with how people relate to each other in groups. It includes 3_________________ ways
individuals are affected by mass 4________________ and the media. One of the
applications of social psychology is in government planning. By analysing patterns of
social behaviour, government departments can draw up effective policies. Another
area where social psychology is useful is industry. For example, in the advertising
world, social psychologists carry out surveys to find out how effective an advertising
campaign has been. Now I'd like to go on to describe one subfield of social psychology,
and that is 5____________________ psychology. This field focuses particularly on
group dynamics and how people are motivated at work. It's important because it has
practical applications in all organizations. Its main function is to design effective
systems to help people work productively together. For example, it can be used to
design management structures, establish effective teams, select the best
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_____________________, and motivate them.

The second main branch of psychology I'd like to talk about is neuropsychology. This is
the branch of psychology that studies the structure of the brain and the effect that
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_____________________ may have on the nervous system and behaviour.
Neuropsychology is especially useful in the field of medicine; for example, a
neuropsychologist may analyse people's behaviour when they have taken specific
drugs. But neuropsychology can also have an application in the commercial world…
When you go to a restaurant or a supermarket, have you noticed how the lighting or
the background music affects your mood? Yes? ... Well, the retail and catering
industries use the research of neuropsychologists to decide which lighting and music
will make customers feel like spending more.

Let's move on now to a third branch — developmental psychology. This branch

focuses, as you might expect, on the way people's brains develop and
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___________________ during their lifetime. It is concerned with the ways in which

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children and young people form their 10_________________ of the world and their
relationship with it.

Next, I'd like to look at an important subfield of developmental psychology —

educational psychology. This is the specialist field that deals with learning. It is closely
linked to developmental psychology because it is concerned with the relationship
between the evolution of the 10_________________ functions and the process of
learning. An example of a practical application of this field would be the case of an
educational psychologist testing children to discover their preferred learning styles and
deciding which educational approach will benefit them most.

Now, I'd like to turn to the fourth branch of psychology, and that is personality
psychology. This branch of psychology focuses on analysing the behaviour of
individuals and classifying them into personality types. It has practical applications in a
variety of contexts: for selecting employees; in psychotherapy; and in police
investigations, where 12____________________ psychologists draw up personality
'profiles' of criminal suspects. This is called 'profiling'.

The fifth branch of psychology I'd like to look at is clinical psychology. The main focus
of this field is the 13_________________ and 14_________________ of individual
behavioural problems and mental disorders. Clinical psychologists often work in
hospitals, health centres and private clinics.

Finally, I'd like to mention counselling, which is a widely known subfield of clinical
psychology. Counsellors help healthy people to manage unusually stressful situations
such as divorce, the death of a family member or social 15_________________. At
universities, and in schools in particular, counsellors help students to overcome
problems like peer pressure, bullying or drug abuse.

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 Areas of Study in Psychology

Educational Experimental Developmental

Environmental Clinical Counseling
Industrial and Organizational Personality Psychometrician
School Social Cognitive
a. Deals with the study, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal behavior. Some of these
psychologists are trained to diagnose and treat the common crises of life, while
others research and investigate more complicated and serious mental conditions.
_____________

b. Covers a wide range of human behavior and mental abilities. Studies higher mental
processes such as learning, thinking, language, memory, problem solving, knowing,
reasoning, judging, and decision making. ___________________________

c. Aids clients in dealing with day-to-day emotional, educational, social, and career-
adjustment problems. _______________________

d. Studies the ways in which people grow and change throughout their lives.
____________

e. Seeks to develop more effective teaching techniques, and to improve teacher-

student interaction. _______________________

f. These psychologists attempt to understand the cause-and-effect relationships

between people and their physical environment. _________________________

g. Studies organizations and the workplace. Considers factors such as productivity, job
satisfaction, and management styles. __________________________

h. These psychologists explain both consistency and change in a person's behavior

over time. Individual traits that distinguish one person's behavior from another in
similar situations are of particular interest to them. __________________________

i. Develops tests and other devices to measure psychological characteristics such as

emotional and mental problems, intelligence, interests, and abilities.
________________

j. Assesses and finds solutions for academic and/or emotional problems of

elementary and secondary school students. _____________________

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 READING

The Importance of Industrial Psychology in the Workplace

A person considering a degree or career in psychology may wonder, “Why is

industrial-organizational psychology important?” While other specialties of
psychology delve into a particular person’s personality and mental health issues that
they are facing, industrial and organizational psychology (IO) takes a different
approach. IO psychology professionals assess and improve individual, group, and
organizational dynamics in the work environment. They can recommend strategies to
improve organizational structure and human relations. They use their training in
psychological principles to create:

 a healthy work environment

 increase employee satisfaction
 develop new employee training

Having an I O psychology professional in the organization can also improve employee

productivity. When you learn what industrial organizational psychologists study,
you’ll understand why this branch of psychology is important.

1._______________________________________

Industrial-organizational psychology is the study of individual, group and

organizational dynamics in a work environment. Industrial and organizational
psychology also goes by other names including:

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  business psychology
 employment psychology
 industrial psychology
 management psychology
 occupational psychology
 organizational psychology
 work psychology

2._________________________________________________

By using human psychology principles to study behavior in a place of work, industrial

psychology professionals can determine:

 how well teams communicate

 whether or not workers are invested in the company
 overall job satisfaction
 improve employee productivity

All these factors contribute to an employee’s productivity, efficiency, and absenteeism

rate. The impact of an industrial psychologist on a company will largely depend on
his/her ability to:

 quickly assess a company

 identify barriers to productivity and efficiency
 develop a plan to remedy those problems

Industrial psychology also uses psychological principles to develop evidence-based

procedures for:

 hiring
 training employees
 retention

Essentially, the field consists of conducting research into workplace dynamics and
applying research findings to optimize business efficiency and employee satisfaction in
the work environment.

It’s important to note that the one-on-one work that an industrial-organizational

psychologist may do is very different from the one-on-one work done by a traditional
psychologist. IO psychologists are not trained in diagnosing mental disorders, and they
don’t dig deep into the psyche of a worker or manager. Rather, they evaluate
personality traits and human behavior as they relate to the person’s work.

While most industrial-organizational psychologists focus on the work environment, the

specialty of industrial psychology doesn’t necessarily have to be connected to work in
the traditional sense — it can be applied to different kinds of activities. An industrial
psychologist can be very helpful to sports teams and volunteer efforts as well.

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3. ___________________________________________

People who choose industrial psychology may find themselves working in many
different areas. Some industrial psychologists:

 hold research or teaching positions at universities

 work with branches of the military
 help sports teams and organizations

And when it comes to work environments, industrial psychologists can support human
resources departments in a variety of settings including factories and all types of
companies.

1. Skim the article quickly and place the 3 headings below in the correct gap at
the start of the three main sections of the article.

Where do Industrial Psychologists Work?

What is Industrial Psychology?

What do Industrial Organizational Psychologists Do?

2. Look at the terms in italics and decide which term goes with each of the
definitions below.

i. ________________ and ______________To examine very well or in great

depth (2 answers)
ii. _________________________To work towards the success of something (you
make an effort for it to succeed).
iii. _________________________The mind as the center of thought, emotion and
behavior
iv. _______________________To employ in a company
v. _______________________Keeping talented workers in the company
vi. _______________________Being absent from work on a regular basis.
vii. _______________________A person working for a company
viii. _______________________Something that obstructs or impedes.
ix. _______________________Ways of working that have been proved to be
successful by research studies
x. ________________________Direct communication or exchange between two
people.

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IN GROUPS, DISCUSS THE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. Which department of a company do IO psychologists mainly work? (Name

some other places they could work or other groups they could work with)

2. What do you think the main objectives of an IO psychologist are when working
with a company?

3. What do you think they want to find out about the people working in a
company (3 things)?

4. How can they help a company achieve the objectives you named in question 2?

5. How is an industrial psychologist different to a clinical psychologist?

6. Would you like to work as an industrial psychologist? Why?/Why not?

Work Barriers

1. Industrial-organizational psychologists often identify several key

barriers to productivity within companies. Here are some common ones:

1. Poor Leadership and Management: Ineffective leadership can lead to unclear

goals, lack of direction, and low employee morale.

2. Inadequate Communication: Miscommunication or lack of communication can

cause misunderstandings, errors, and decreased collaboration.

3. Workplace Stress and Mental Health Issues: High levels of stress and poor
mental health can significantly reduce productivity and increase absenteeism.

4. Lack of Employee Engagement: Disengaged employees are less motivated

and less productive. This can be due to a lack of recognition, career development
opportunities, or a mismatch between job roles and skills.

5. Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Issues: Barriers related to diversity and

inclusion can lead to a lack of innovation and collaboration, as well as increased
conflict.

6. Physical Work Environment: Unsuitable office furniture, inadequate lighting,

and noisy environments can negatively impact productivity.

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2.The following are all solutions that an industrial-organisational
psychologist might suggest be implemented in a company. Choose 2
solutions for the problems described in each of the case studies.

a. Schedule regular team meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page.

b. Implement programs to recognize and reward employee achievements.

c. Develop policies that support a diverse and inclusive workplace.

d. Enhance the physical work environment with better lighting, noise control, and
comfortable furniture.

e. Offer training programs to promote diversity and inclusion.

f. Utilize tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or other collaboration platforms to

improve communication3.

g. Establish clear, achievable goals and communicate them effectively to all team
members.

h. Provide access to counseling and mental health resources.

i. Implement leadership development programs to enhance management skills.

j. Provide programs for professional growth and development.

k. Conduct ergonomic assessments to ensure workstations are comfortable and

conducive to productivity.

l. Offer workshops on stress-management techniques and to promote a healthy

work-life balance.

3.Read the following case studies and identify which barrier

to productivity is occurring in each case. The first one is
done for you.
1. Lisa works in a call station. She spends a lot of time sitting at her
desk. Her chair is uncomfortable and she has to get up and walk
around the centre every half hour because she is getting back
ache. She has also started getting headaches because of the glare
from her screen.
Barrier- Physical work environment
Solutions- d,k
2. Maria works in a high-pressure finance firm. She often feels
overwhelmed by her workload and deadlines. The demanding
nature of her job has led to significant burnout and she has started
taking days off work.
Barrier-
Solutions

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3. Raj works in a multinational corporation. He feels excluded from
key projects and decision-making processes and thinks it is due to
him being from Pakistan. He is beginning to feel uncomfortable at
work and has begun to have his lunch alone in the park instead of
in the cafeteria with his colleagues.
Barrier-
Solutions
4. Sarah works in a mid-sized tech company. She often feels confused
about her priorities because her manager frequently changes the
team's objectives without proper communication. The lack of
guidance is causing the other members of her team to become
demotivated too.
Barrier:
Solutions

5. John works in a large manufacturing company. Collaboration

between departments is difficult because important information
passing between departments is frequently lost or misunderstood
leading to errors and delays.
Barrier:
Solutions
6. Alex works in a retail company. He has been doing the same tasks
for years and is becoming bored. He feels he has a lot of potential
and would like to train in other areas and be given more
responsibility but has not been given the opportunity.
Barrier:
Solutions

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 CAREER VIDEOS

VIDEO 1 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Match 1 word from 2 with each word in Column 1 to form a term used in educational
psychology

Column 1 Place here the correct term

from Column 2
Child
Domestic
Domestic
Early
Health
Mental
Positive
Social
Strengths-based
Well-

Column 2
being
Violence
Development
Health
Impacts
Adversity
Approach
Care
Abuse
Attachments

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In the table below you can find the answers to the previous exercise. The definitions
for 6 of these terms are found in the exercise below. Decide which term goes with
which definition.
1. This allows a person to see themselves at their best – the value they bring by just
being themselves. They are encouraged to capitalize on their strengths rather than
focus on negative characteristics. ____________________________

2. A wide range of non-medical services provided by local authorities to support the

social needs of individuals, especially the elderly, vulnerable or with special needs to
improve their quality of life._____________________________

3. These occur when parents or carers respond reliably and sensitively to a child’s basic
needs. The infant knows that they are safe to go out and explore the world and that
the caregiver will always be there to welcome them back and provide comfort in times
of stress or anxiety.________________________________

4. Violent or abusive behavior directed by one family or household member against

another. ____________________________________

5. This refers to a wide range of circumstances or events that pose a serious threat to a
child’s physical or psychological well-being. Common examples include child abuse and
neglect, domestic violence, bullying, serious accidents or injuries, discrimination and
extreme poverty. Research shows that such experiences can have serious
consequences in adult life.
______________________________

6. The state of being happy, healthy or prosperous.

________________________________

Child development Mental health

Domestic violence Positive attachments
Domestic abuse Social care
Early adversity Strengths-based approach
Health impacts Well-being

Match 1 word from 2 with each word in Column 1 to form a term used in educational
psychology
Training and jobs
Column 1
assistant
undergraduate
doctoral
master’s
School
Support

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 Column 2
training
staff
psychologist
degree
staff
degree

Answers to collocations 2 and questions

Assistant psychologist Master’s degree

Undergraduate degree School staff
Doctoral training Support staff = teaching assistant

1. What are you studying at the moment?

2. After you have finished this course how would you specialise in an area?

3. Give the names of three posts included in the school staff.

Try to find information about the following points from watching the video about the
educational psychologist:
Age range of children and young adults:

When she works with schools who would she have consultations with?

Aspects she focuses on in the child/young adult

One of her areas of speciality is very young children. What type of assessment may she
do in a home visit?

Give an example of a workshop she has given for parents

Which example does she give of working in therapeutics (for who?, Why?)

The approach she follows is a strengths-based approach (positive psychology). What do

you understand by this term?

Now watch the rest of the video in which she talks about her work experience and
training.
Name 2 groups of children she has worked with during her training.

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 VIDEO 2 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST

Day in the life of a forensic psychologist

Vocabulary:
To have custody of a child;
to have custody taken away = to lose custody of a child (to have your kids taken away)

Before lunch he performs three evaluations: Explain about each one. (Describe the
initial situation of the client, the purpose of each evaluation.

Client 1.

Client 2.

Client 3

In the afternoon where does he go?

What is his client charged with?

What does he do there?

Which 3 work settings does the forensic psychologist work in?

Nb.Criminal responsibility and mental competency evaluation.

Many factors come into play when determining whether a person who commits an
illegal act is criminally responsible.

In certain situations, an action that would otherwise be considered a crime may be

lawful. Among the defences the accused can raise to avoid criminal responsibility are
self-defence, necessity, intoxication, duress (when forced to do so), and mental
incompetency.

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 What is Psychology?
VOCABULARY: BUILDING WORDS

To speak confidently and competently about psychology, you need to be fluent in

vocabulary specific to the field, and able to use it flexibly.
You are probably familiar with the words in bold in this text about architecture. Look
at the sentences below it, extracted from psychology texts. Complete each sentence
with one of the bold words below. You may need to change its form (singular/plural,
noun/verb/adjective, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO ARCHITECTURE
It takes both vision and strong analytic skills to
construct a new building. In most projects, the architects
end up stressing the way the structure stimulates the
imagination, while the contractors will be more conscious
of daily working conditions.

To condition / conditional / condition

to analyze /analytic / analysis
To stimulate/ stimulating / stimulus(stimuli)
To visualize / visional/ visualization -vision
To be stressed/ stressful / stress
To construct/ construction/ construction
To be conscious / conscious /conscience
To project/ --------------/ projection

a) Freud’s experiments in psycho______________ gave rise to his ‘dream theory’.

b) In Pavlov’s experiments with dogs, the conditioned _____________ was a light.
c) Hallucinations, or _____________, are a common symptom of mental disorder.
d) Overstimulation of the organism can lead to emotional tension or _________.
e) Kelly was an early proponent of Personal ____________ Theory.
f) Skinner’s experiments in operant _____________ were based on behaviourism.
g) Attributing your feelings to another person is known as ________________.
h) The _________________ mind is the most accessible level of mental activity.

Adapted from: Short, Jane. English for Psychology in Higher Education Studies. Garnet Education, 2010.

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 2.Look at the words in Box 1. What do all these words have in common? Practise
saying the words. Note: the ai sound is very common in English. It is used in the
pronunciation of psychoanalysis, isolate, biochemistry, neurobiology and many other
terms.
biochemistry extrasensory neurobiology overstimulate

parapsychology psychoanalysis recycle subconscious

Box 1

transaction unfeeling introspection

a) Underline the base word in each case.

b) Identify the prefix in each one.

The meanings of the prefixes are in box 2 below.

c) Write the prefix from the box above under its definition in the box below. The
first one is done for you

below/underneath Inside/within Beside/beyond/ Superior/above/excess

Sub- abnormal

Across/through Again/repeat Outside/beyond The mind

Box 2

Life Nerve/nerve tissue Not

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 Look at the word endings in Box 3 and decide which prefix from Box 2 goes with each
group of endings. The first is done for you.

-noid -available -ference -therapy

-noia -aware -pathic

Paranoid -conscious

Paranoia

-vert/verted -liminal -osis/otic -estimate

-conscious -feedback -compensate

Box 3

-pathic

-al

-think -vert/verted -metric

-live -tic

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 MATCHING DEFINITIONS

paranoid overcompensate neurosis parapsychology subliminal

dissociation biometric pathogenic subconscious psychopathic
personality traits extrovert neuroimaging hallucination schizophrenia
conditioning psychoanalysis insomnia narcissism neurobiology

1. The study of psychological phenomena--such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and

psychokinesis--that are considered inexplicable by science
2. The method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free
association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are
used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses
3. The biological study of the nervous system

4. A mild mental disorder characterized by excessive anxiety, insecurity, or obsession

5. Perception of visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or gustatory stimuli in the absenc

e of any external objects or events and with a compelling sense of their reality
6. A disintegration or fragmentation of the mind in which memories, thoughts, or as
pects of the personality become disconnected
7. Chronic inability to fall asleep or remain asleep for an adequate length of time

8. Characteristics that reflect a person’s patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

9. Radiological imaging that depicts brain structure or function

10. Psychiatric disorder characterized by psychotic behavior including delusions, hallu

cinations, withdrawal from reality
11. A process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to associate a desire
d behavior with a previously unrelated stimulus
12. A person concerned more with external reality than inner feelings

13. Inadequate to produce conscious awareness but able to evoke a response

14. To perform more strenuously than required in order to overcome a defect

15. The part of the mind below the level of conscious perception

16. The statistical study of biological phenomena

17. A personality disorder characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance,

need for admiration, and lack of empathy
18. Capable of causing disease

19. Engaging in amoral or antisocial acts without feeling remorse

20. Exhibiting or characterized by irrational distrust or suspicion of others

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 QUIZLET

REVISION AND PRACTICE OF PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

Look at these word parts and see if by adding a suffix you can add them to one or
more circles in the word map on the following page.

hypn- introvers- sublimin- aggress- extrovert-

behavioral- introvert- claustro- appoint- crimin-

path- exhibition- agreeable- exhibit- neuro-

clinic- hallucinat- consc- exhibition- neurotic-

psych- resent- subconsc- intuit- psych-

narcissis- open- narco- extrovers-

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 -obia -osis -ness
- - -
- - -
- - -

NOUNS -ion (sion)

-
-
-ment -
-
-
-
-ism
-ology
-
-
-
-
-
-

-ic (tic)(1)
-
-
-
-ic(tic)(2)
-
- -al
- -
-
-
ADJECTIVES

- ious
- -ed
- -
- -
-

Can you think of any more words related to psychology to go in each bubble.
Mark in bold the strong syllable, eg. Claustrophobia. Practice saying the words

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 WORD CATEGORIES

Complete the table with the missing terms in each case (you may use the internet to
help you). Then complete the sentences below with different forms of the same
term.

VERB ADJECTIVE NOUN (s and pl)

diagnose
therapy/treatment
analyse/analyze
stimulus / stimuli (pl)
isolate
behavioural
assess
threat
strong
develop

1. _________________________ methods are used in most scientific research and the

statistical ____________is especially important.

2. __________________ psychology studies human growth and _______________over

the lifespan.
3. Some communities feel ________________ by the arrival of immigrants from other
countries. However, it is often the immigrants that suffer the most, as forced emigration
is an important __________________ to mental health.

4. She lives alone and has been very _________________ during the pandemic. I’m
sure this long period of ___________________ has affected her mental health.

5. In positive psychology patients learnt how to benefit from their _________________,

which helps them to build a ______________ character.

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6. We carried out numerous ___________________ tests and finally reached a
____________________ of obsessive compulsive disorder.

7.The patient must be _________________________ with antidepressants. I will refer

her to the psychiatrist who will calculate the ___________________ dose to give her.

8. A parental capacity __________________________ is a process in which a court or

other authority ______________________ the capacity of a parent to provide for a
child’s well-being.

9. His ________________________ is very unpredictable. If he continues to

_______________ like this he will have to be admitted.

10. In Pavlov’s experiment, food is the original ________________ causing the dogs to
salivate. After that, salivation is ___________________ by the ringing of a bell.

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 SPEAKING

Can you use the vocabulary we’ve looked at to confidently speak about different
psychology topics? Practice in pairs or small groups, discussing the images your
teacher gives you, using the vocabulary you have just seen. Write down the words
from the previous pages that you associate with each image. There can be several
answers for each.

Image A

Image B

Image C

Image D

Image E

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