Psychology is best characterized as which of the following?

• A. A medical specialty concerned only with treating neurological disorders through surgery
• B. A branch of philosophy focused primarily on moral reasoning and ethics
• C. The scientific study of behavior and mental processes
• D. The practice of predicting the future through personality types and horoscopes

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the core focus of psychology by understanding its primary goals: to study behavior and mental processes scientifically.
2. Recognize that psychology is not limited to medical procedures or surgery, which are aspects of neurology or medicine, not psychology.
3. Understand that while philosophy deals with moral reasoning and ethics, psychology is distinct in its empirical and scientific approach to studying the mind and behavior.
4. Eliminate options related to pseudoscience, such as predicting the future through personality types and horoscopes, as these are not scientifically supported practices within psychology.
5. Conclude that psychology is best characterized as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, emphasizing observation, experimentation, and evidence-based conclusions.