Psychology

New technologies allowing visualization of the human brain at work and advances in knowledge of brain and nerve cell chemistry have influenced psychology tremendously. In one technique, called the deoxyglucose technique, a projected visual image of the brain shows where energy-producing glucose is being used by the brain at that moment. Researchers might ask subjects to solve different types of problems and look at which areas of the brain are most active. These new technologies have allowed psychologists to specify where exactly specific types of mental processes occur. This emerging field has been labelled neuropsychology or neuroscience.

Only behaviorism and psychoanalysis survive as separate schools of thought now. Modern psychologists tend to be eclectic, drawing upon different theories and approaches depending on what they are studying. There has been tremendous growth in the topics studied by psychologists due in part to developments in computers and data analysis. The American Psychological Association currently has 45 divisions, each representing areas of special interest to psychologists.