Transcript Module 2
Module 2
As Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the Future
Chapter 14 - Pages 15-26
Essentials of Understanding Psychology- Sixth Edition
PSY110 Psychology
© Richard Goldman
September 18, 2006
Psychological Perspectives
Early
Structuralism
Introspection
Functionalism
Gestalt Psychology
Contemporary
Neuroscience
Psychodynamic
Behavioral
Cognitive
Humanistic
Structuralism
an Early Perspective
Developed by Wilhelm Wundt
Studied with a procedure called Introspection
Patients were asked about stimuli
Focused on the fundamental mental states of:
Set up first psychology laboratory 1879
Perception
Consciousness
Thinking
Emotions
(and other mental states and activities)
Discredited because results were not reproducible
Introspection
Subject is presented with stimulus the
psychologist then use the subject’s response to
describe the mind
Discredited because it was not reproducible - not
scientific
Replaced by Functionalism and Gestalt
Psychology
Functionalism
an Early Perspective
Lead by William James in the early 1900’s
Focused on the purpose of consciousness
and behavior
(how it allowed people to adapt to their environment)
Gestalt Psychology
an Early Perspective
Improved understanding of
perception by viewing a variety of
individual elements as a “whole”
“The whole is different from the
some of its parts”.
Neuroscience
A Contemporary Perspective
Biologically based – emphasizing
the study of:
Brain, Never cell, & nervous system
Biochemistry & Hormones
Medication
Inheritance
Instinct
Psychodynamic
A Contemporary Perspective
Sigmund Freud – 1900
Behavior is motivated by inner
unconscious forces
Psychoanalysis
Free Association
Behavioral
Behaviorism originated
with the work of John B.
Watson, an American
psychologist -1920.
Watson believed that
psychological data
which did not result
from direct observation
was useless.
Championed by BF
Skinner
operant conditioning
“Skinner Box”
Cognitive
How
think
people understand and
Humanistic
People control their own behavior
Free will
Carl Rogers
Abraham Maslow
Hierarchy of Needs
Issues & Controversies
Nature verses Nurture
Conscious verses Unconscious motivations
Free Will verses Determinism
Observable Behavior vs. Mental Processes
Universal Principals vs. Individual Differences
Nature vs. Nurture
Nature:
Behavior is determined by
inheritance
Nurture
Behavior is determined by
environment
Free Will vs. Determinism
Free Will:
Behavior is controlled by freely made
choices
Determinism:
Inheritance
Instinct
Environment
Training
Behavior is not controlled by free will
Observable Behavior vs.
Internal Mental Processes
Observable Behavior:
Can be seen by an outside observer
Allows easy application of scientific
process
Internal Mental Processes
Critical to understanding mental
processes
Universal Principals vs.
Individual Differences
Universal Principals:
Behavior and responses that are
similar to all humans in all cultures
Individual Differences:
Individual differences in humans
within a culture
End