DIFFERENTIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Differential psychology is the study of psychology founded by Francis Galton in the late nineteenth century to research the effects of heredity on individual intelligence and his revolutionary work on intelligence testing was later promoted and advanced by James McKeen Cattell and Alfred Binet. It was Binet who developed the first standardized intelligence test.

Differential psychology is the study of all the behavioral and cognitive differences between people including individual differences in personality, intellect, and physical characteristics. It is the branch of psychology that also studies people at three levels of focus captured by the well known quote: “Every man is in certain respects (a) like all other men, (b) like some other men, (c) like no other man" (Murray, H.A. & C. Kluckhohn, 1953).

Differential psychology concentrates on the second level of study and it is also known as individual differences psychology because scientists in this area revise the ways in which individual people vary in their behavior. This is different from other facets of psychology. Even though psychology is the study of individual behavior, the modern psychologists often study group or biological reinforcement of cognition.

Differential psychologists (Individual difference) generally show their interest in individuals while studying groups by searching facets shared by all individuals but upon which individuals differ. The examination of individual differences is important because vital differences between individuals can be covered by averaging. Individual differences research typically includes personality, motivation, intelligence, ability, IQ, interests, values, self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. There are only a small number of differential psychology programs in the United States even though examination in this area is very active.

Differential Psychology is concerned with inter-individual differences when compared to general psychology which is interested in people in general. Differential Psychology comes across at groups of persons, described by certain variables or a combination of these, which are of interest. Some parts of research focused on today by psychologists working in differential psychology are the result of heredity and environment on behavioral differences and variations in intelligence among individuals and groups. Observations about group differences can be misused and turn into stereotypes when mean characteristics are indiscriminately credited to all individuals in a group, and when differences between groups are viewed as consistent and solely hereditary.

Questions

• How do psychologists analyse the difference in behavior in the individual?