Transcript A Brief History of Psychology

A Brief History of
Psychology
Using Alternative
approaches and views to get
to the heart of psychology
Psychology
Scientific study of behavior
that is tested through
scientific research
Goals of Psychology
Goals of Psychology
Description
Explanation
Prediction
Influence
Applied or Basic Science
 Basic Science is research for the sake
of research. Includes the first three
goals (description, explanation, and
prediction)
 Applied Science uses psychological
research to solve immediate problems
in the real world. This is the last goal
influence!
Phrenology
The practice of examining
bumps on a person’s skull to
determine that person’s
intellect and character traits –
discredited as non-scientific.
Greek thought
Believed that the heart was
more important than the
mind. – but began the
thought that people were not
dominated by gods but were
rational.
Dualism
Seventeenth century
philosophers concept that the
mind and body are separate
and distinct. – Rene Descartes
disagreed – said a link existed
between the mind and the
body.
Historical Approaches
Structuralism
Functionalism
Inheritable Traits
Gestalt Psychology
Structuralism
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
Structuralist study the basic
elements that make up
conscious mental experiences.
Attempted to map thought
processes from observed
behavior
Structuralism
Functionalism
William James (1842-1910) –
father of psychology in the
U.S.
Study the function of
consciousness.
Believed all we think and do
is to help us survive.
Functionalism
Inheritable Traits
Sir Francis Galton (1822-
1911) – personality tests
Studied how heredity affects
behavior.
Believed the richest were the
most intelligent – what did he
forget?
Gestalt Psychology
Group of German
psychologists who felt that
perception is more than the
sum of its parts
Studied how sensation is
assembled into perceptual
experiences.
Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt Psychology
Gestalt Psychology
Contemporary Approaches
Psychoanalytic Psychology
Behavioral Psychology
Humanistic Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Biological Psychology
Sociocultural Psychology
Psychoanalytic
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Unconscious determinants of
behavior
Used free association, and
dream analysis to discover
unconscious determinants
Psychoanalytic theory
Behavioral
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
Events in the environment
(rewards and punishments)
influence our behavior.
Pavlov’s dog
Behavioral
Behavioral (Continued)
John B. Watson (1878-1958)
Concerned with observable
behavior only
Even instincts is result of
conditioning by environment
Behavioral (Continued)
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Introduced the concept of
reinforcement
Wanted to apply lab
concepts to the world
Wrote “Walden Two”
Behavioral
Humanistic
Abraham Maslow, Carl
Rogers (1960’s)
Individual or self-directed
choices influence our
behavior, not outside
reinforcement. (Selfactualization)
Humanistic
Cognitive
Jean Piaget (1950’s)
Behavior is more than a
response to a stimulus, it is
influenced by a variety of
mental processes, including
perceptions, memories, and
expectations.
Biological
Psychobiologists (1990’s)
study how the brian, nervous
system, hormones, and
genetics influence our
behavior
Do genes affect your
intelligence and your
personality?
Sociocultural
Leonard Doob (1990’s)
Ethnicity, gender, culture and
socioeconomic status
influence our behavior
How do people of different
genders and ethnicities
interact with one another?