The History of Psychology
Chapter 1 Section 2
Where did the scientific method come from?
• Wilhelm Wundt– 1879– Leipzig, Germany– First psychology laboratory – Claims: psychology has 2 elements (sensations and
feelings)– Procedure used: “introspection”– Acknowledged as establishing modern psychology
as a separate, formal field of study
The Greeks
• 5th & 6th centuries B.C.• Started to study human behavior• gods did not control people’s lives• People’s minds controlled their lives• People were rational
Dualism
• 1600’s (17th Century)• Mind and body are separate
Phrenology
• 1800’s (19th century)• Studying the bumps on a person’s head to
figure out their intelligence or personality
Rene Descartes(1596-1650)
• Mind and body are linked• The mind controls the body’s movements,
sensations, perceptions• Mind & body together create a person’s
experience
Approaches to the Science of Behavior
Historical Approaches• Structuralism• Functionalism• Inheritable Traits• Gestalt Psychology
Contemporary Approaches• Psychoanalytic Psychology• Behavioral Psychology• Humanistic Psychology• Cognitive Psychology• Biological Psychology• Sociocultural Psychology
Historical Approaches
• Structuralism• Functionalism• Inheritable Traits• Gestalt Psychology
Structuralism
• Main person: Wilhelm Wundt
• Study human behavior in a systematic and scientific way
• Interested in the basic elements of the human experience
• Introspection – self observation
• Tried to map out the basic structure of thought processes
Functionalism
• Main person: William James– Taught the first
psychology class at Harvard (1875)
– “father of psychology”– Wrote: The Principles of
Psychology– Thinking, feeling, learning,
remembering all help us survive as a species
• Focused on the functions/purpose of the mind & functions of behavior
• Study how mental processes help animals & people adapt to their environment
Inheritable Traits
• Main person: Sir Francis Galton– English
mathematician/scientist– Studied biographies– Encouraged “good”
marriages to fill the world with talented people
– Came up with the first/primitive personality & intelligence tests
• Studies how heredity influences a person’s abilities, character & behavior
• Heredity or environment?
Gestalt Psychology
• Main people: German psychologists– Mac Wetheimer– Wolfgang Kohler– Kurt Koffka
• Perception is more than the sum of its parts
• “whole pattern” – Gestalt
• Studies how sensations are put together into perceptual experiences
Contemporary Approaches
• Psychoanalytic Psychology• Behavioral Psychology• Humanistic Psychology• Cognitive Psychology• Biological Psychology• Sociocultural Psychology
Psychoanalytic Psychology
• Main person: Sigmund Freud– Vienna doctor
• Focused on unconscious mind
• Free association• Dream analysis• most of your feelings come
from a hidden place in your mind called the unconscious.
• We protect ourselves from our real feeling by using defense mechanisms.
Behavioral Psychology
• Main people: – Ivan Pavlov– John B. Watson – B.F. Skinner
• Behavior as the product of past experiences
• Stressed investigating only observable behavior
• Use of reinforcement to make behavior happen again
Humanistic Psychology
• Main people: – Abraham Maslow– Carl Rogers– Rollo May
• Human nature evolves & is self directed
• Internal growth• Each person is unique• Each person has a self-
concept & potential to develop fully
• Growth leads to a more satisfying life
Cognitive Psychology
• Main people: – Jean Piaget– Noam Chomsky– Leon Festinger
• Focus on how we process, store & use information
• How information influences our thinking, language, problem solving, & creativity
• Behavior is influenced by a variety of mental processes (perceptions, memories, expectations)
Biological Psychology
• Biology impacts our behavior• Study how the brain, nervous system,
hormones & genetics influence our behavior
Sociocultural Psychology
• Studies the influence of cultural & ethnic similarities/differences on behavior & social functioning
• Culture influences ways of thinking, feeling & behaving
• Looks at gender, socioeconomic status