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PS210 History of Psychology Unit 4 Nichola Cohen Ph.D. Unit 4 Project Due Tuesday by 11.59pm EST Please read the rubric APA formatting and references Reference the text book and 1 other credible source Must be well written Use spell check Use the writing center Between 3-4 pages Unit 4 Project Introduction Thesis statement and introducing primary topics Contributions Pick one of the early psychologists (either Wilhelm Wundt, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Franz Brentano, Carl Stumpf, Oswald Kulpe or Edward Titchener) and describe their contributions to psychology 1 page Unit 4 Project Critical evaluation Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the work of your chosen Psychologist 1 page Conclusion Summarize the main points within your paper and form conclusions What is functionalism? What is functionalism? 1st American system of Psychology Addressed how the mind functions and what its purpose is What is the difference between structuralism and functionalism? What is the difference between structuralism and functionalism? Functionalists asked – What is the function of consciousness? Structuralists asked – What is the structure of consciousness? Virtual fieldtrip! Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFACrIx5SZ0 Virtual fieldtrip! Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFACrIx5SZ0 What did you see and why is this important? Virtual fieldtrip! Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFACrIx5SZ0 What did you see and why is this important? You saw an orangutan displaying human-like behaviors Functionalism is founded on the ideas of Charles Darwin. His ideas on evolution originated from observing an Orangutan displaying human-like behaviors in a London zoo Where did the idea of evolution begin? Where did the idea of evolution begin? Most people believe it started with Darwin, but it didn’t The concept of evolution (the idea that living things change with time) can be traced back to the 5th century, although it wasn’t until the late 18th century that the idea was investigated systematically Darwin and evolution Excursion aboard the HMS Beagle (1831-1836) Was selected to find evidence in support of the biblical account of creation Spent a long time working on his theory, until in 1858 he received a letter from Alfred Russel Wallace who had outlined a theory very similar to Darwin’s Both presented their ideas at a meeting, Darwin’s work got more attention Better formalized What is Darwin’s theory of evolution? What is Darwin’s theory of evolution? Variability in individual members of a species is inherited A process of natural selection results in survival of traits best suited to an environment and the elimination of those not fit Proposed that humans evolved from lower life forms What is Darwin’s theory of evolution? Variability in individual members of a species is inherited A process of natural selection results in survival of traits best suited to an environment and the elimination of those not fit Proposed that humans evolved from lower life forms Natural selection in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyRA807djLc What were the implications of Darwin’s work on Psychology? What were the implications of Darwin’s work on Psychology? Psychology became more focused on practical everyday problems How people function in and adapt to their environments Focus on animal psychology Study of animal behavior became critical to understanding human behavior Acceptance of methodology from different fields Focus on description and measurement of individual differences How did the Zeitgeist contribute to evolutionary theory? How did the Zeitgeist contribute to evolutionary theory? Finding fossils Discovering areas on earth with different creatures Industrial revolution Francis Galton Francis Galton Statistical work Mental tests Thought intelligence could be measured in terms of sensory capacities Known for his study of individual differences Worked on mental inheritance Thought genius is inherited Eugenics Eugenics The science of improving the human race through artificial selection Eugenics The science of improving the human race through artificial selection Encouraged the birth of “fit” individuals, discouraged the birth of “unfit” Eugenics The science of improving the human race through artificial selection Encouraged the birth of “fit” individuals, discouraged the birth of “unfit” Proposed the development of intelligence tests to select fit individuals for selective breeding Implications of eugenics Implications of eugenics Marriage laws Laws forbidding inter-racial marriages were common Sterilization laws Laws passed allowing for the sterilization of “socially inadequate” people Immigration laws Immigration laws introduced to prohibit immigration of “undesirable” people Animal Psychology George John Romanes Developed mental ladder, defining level of intellectual functioning of different animals Introspection by analogy – investigators assume animals have the same mental processes as humans Concluded that animals are capable of reasoning and problem-solving His methodologies are very questionable! C Lloyd Morgan Law of parsimony – animal behavior should be described in its lowest form