1. Ch. 1 The Science of Psychology William James: Functionalism

2. William James: Functionalism -American born -Taught at Harvard The Principle of Psychology -classic textbook published in 1890 "It is literature," psychologist Wilhelm Wundt famously commented, "it is beautiful, but it is not psychology." Two years later, James published a condensed version of the work titled Psychology: The Briefer Course. The two books were widely used by students of psychology and were known to most as "the James" and "the Jimmy" respectively

3. William James: Functionalism “Consciousness is a continuous flow.” - the mind is constantly weaving associations, revisiting experiences and making connections. Example- - All activities of the mind help us survive as a species. Your awareness is a blend of experiences, memories and feelings.

4. William James: Functionalism “Consciousness is a continuous flow.” -Wholistic thinking -perceptions, emotions and images can not be separated. -although the objects of our thoughts or perceptions may seem distinct and separate, our awareness of them forms a “river” or “stream,” the best metaphor for our consciouness.

5. William James: Functionalism Functionalism: Def.- Theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses it’s perceptual abilities to function in it’s environment.

6. William James: Functionalism -Focused study on the everyday experience / habits -All activity is functional- it serves a purpose. -Mental associations allow us to benefit from previous experience.

7. Add information to the bottom of the handout page: William James: Functionalism What is the difference between Structuralism and Functionalism? James opposed the structuralism focus on introspection and breaking down mental events to the smallest elements. Instead, James focused on the wholeness of an event, taking into the impact of the environment on behavior.

8. Homework: Read the article- The Principle of Psychology- William James -Summarize the key idea. -Response Question: Which theorists (Wundt, Tichener or James) do you feel is the “most correct?”