The Roots of Psychology

Empiricism Structuralism Functionalism Experimental Psychology Behaviorism Humanistic psychology Cognitive neuroscience Psychology(IB definition)

Psychology can be traced back to early philosophers There was an effort to understand about sensations, perceptions, learning and the connections between the mind, feelings and the body Many believed that thought occurred in the heart and emotions in the stomach/bowels, others believed that the heart was the center of all thought and emotion In ancient Greece, Socrates and Plato concluded that the mind was separate from the body and could live on after death

Aristotle used careful observations and data, he concluded that knowledge is not preexisting but grows from experience For approximately 2000 years there were no significant advancements in man’s thinking about the mind and nature of man In the 1600’s, science began to flourish again and our drive to know why and how grew with it Rene Descartes agreed with Socrates and Plato. He believed that the mind was separate from the body, could live on after death and the knowledge was innate.

Descartes believed (from dissecting animals) that our brains cavities were filled with fluid and that this fluid contained animal spirits. These spirits were thought to flow from the brain through the nerves, which would then cause muscle reactions. Memories were created when this fluid flowed into pores in the brain. So, what was Descartes right about? Nerves are important pathways and they do enable our reflexes. But about everything else, he had it wrong.

Across the pond, in Great Britain, Francis Bacon was basing his ideas on experiment, experience and common sense. He believed that the human mind seeks patterns of order in random events. He believed that this caused people to notice and remember events that support our ideas and ignore those that do not. John Locke, a British philosopher, wrote about the “tabula rasa”, the blank slate. This idea, that we are born with our minds totally blank, influenced philosophy, psychology and political science. The ideas of Bacon and Locke helped modern empiricism—the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should rely on observation and experimentation

The true birth of psychology as a science is credited to Wilhelm Wundt. In 1879, at the University of Leipzig, he and two assistants set up what is commonly known as Psychology’s first experiment They were using a ball and the pressing of a telegraph key to determine the time lag between hearing and awareness of hearing. This experiment led to the development of the first psychology laboratory

Early founder of modern psychology

Before long psychology became divided into different schools of thought Structuralism Functionalism Behaviorism Gestalt psychology Psychoanalysis

Seeks to study the structural elements of the mind Founder: Edward Bradford Titchener Engaged people in introspection and trained them to report on feelings and thoughts It proved to be unreliable Structuralism faded Seeks to understand why our bodies behave as they do Founder: William James Believed (influenced by Darwin) that thinking developed because it was adaptive Encouraged explorations of emotions, memories, willpower and habits James’ main influence was through his writing and students

Structuralism School of thought in psychology that used introspection to explore the structural elements of the human mind Functionalism School of thought in psychology that focused on how our mental processes function—how they enable us to adapt, survive and function

Founder of Structuralism

Founder of Functionalism

Wrote The Animal Mind Focused on animal behavior research Studied vision, sensory perception and cognitive processes Used a variety of animals for research Also worked on Motor Theory

The school of psychology that believes that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes This school of thought was led by John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. They dismissed introspection and embraced observable behavior. Watson demonstrated conditioned responses in the famous “Little Albert” experiment

Biological: studies the links between biological and psychological processes Evolutionary: studies the roots of behavior and mental processes using the principles of natural selection Psychodynamic: studies how unconscious drives and conflicts influence behavior, then use that information to treat people with psychological disorders Behavioral: studies observable behavior, and its explanation by principles of behavior Cognitive: the study of mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating Social-cultural: the study of how situations and cultures affect our behavior and thinking