A Brief History of Psychology

Using Alternative approaches and views to get to the heart of psychology

PsychologyScientific study of behavior

that is tested through scientific research

Goals of Psychology

Goals of Psychology

DescriptionExplanationPredictionInfluence

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 thoughtBelieved that the heart was

more important than the mind. – but began the thought that people were not dominated by gods but were rational.

DualismSeventeenth 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 ApproachesStructuralismFunctionalismInheritable TraitsGestalt Psychology

StructuralismWilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)Structuralist study the basic

elements that make up conscious mental experiences.

Attempted to map thought processes from observed behavior

Structuralism

FunctionalismWilliam 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 TraitsSir Francis Galton (1822-

1911) – personality testsStudied how heredity affects

behavior. Believed the richest were the

most intelligent – what did he forget?

Gestalt PsychologyGroup 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 ApproachesPsychoanalytic PsychologyBehavioral PsychologyHumanistic PsychologyCognitive PsychologyBiological PsychologySociocultural Psychology

PsychoanalyticSigmund Freud (1856-1939)Unconscious determinants of

behaviorUsed free association, and

dream analysis to discover unconscious determinants

Psychoanalytic theory

BehavioralIvan 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 onlyEven instincts is result of

conditioning by environment

Behavioral (Continued)

B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)Introduced the concept of

reinforcementWanted to apply lab concepts

to the worldWrote “Walden Two”

Behavioral

HumanisticAbraham Maslow, Carl

Rogers (1960’s)Individual or self-directed

choices influence our behavior, not outside reinforcement. (Self-actualization)

Humanistic

CognitiveJean 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.

BiologicalPsychobiologists (1990’s)study how the brian, nervous

system, hormones, and genetics influence our behavior

Do genes affect your intelligence and your personality?

SocioculturalLeonard Doob (1990’s)Ethnicity, gender, culture and

socioeconomic status influence our behavior

How do people of different genders and ethnicities interact with one another?