Samuel, a psychologist, wants to investigate how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by their environment. Which branch of psychology is he most likely studying?

• A. Developmental psychology
• B. Clinical psychology
• C. Social psychology
• D. Neuropsychology

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the key focus of Samuel's investigation: how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by their environment.
2. Recall the main branches of psychology and their focus areas: Developmental psychology studies changes across the lifespan; Clinical psychology focuses on diagnosing and treating mental disorders; Neuropsychology examines brain-behavior relationships.
3. Understand that Social psychology specifically studies how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are affected by the presence or actions of others and the social environment.
4. Match Samuel's research interest with the branch that studies environmental influences on behavior, which is Social psychology.
5. Conclude that Samuel is most likely studying Social psychology because it directly addresses the influence of the environment on people's psychological processes.