1. Approaches to Psychology
Chp. 1 , Sec. 2

2. Wilhelm Wundt “Father of Modern Psychology”
Credited with the establishment of a separate study of psychology
A German physiologist
Human behavior should be studied in a systematic & scientific manner
He trained many students that carried on his systematic tradition

3. Historical Approaches
Structuralism
Study the basic elements of human behavior
Used Introspection as a means of study
Trained people to report their thoughts & feelings
Positives & Negatives?

4. Historical Approaches
Functionalism
Study how animals & people adapt to their environment
All activities of the mind serve the purpose of survival
Established by William James
Father of American Psychology

5. Historical Approaches
Inheritable Traits
Looked at how heredity influences a person’s ability, character, & behavior
Sir Francis Galton studied eminent families & believed that success, intelligence, etc. ran in the family

6. Historical Approaches
Gestalt Psychology
Established by a group of German psychologists: Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler, & Kurt Koffka
Perception is more than the sum of its parts
Studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences

8. Contemporary Approaches
Psychoanalytic Psychology
Established by Sigmund Freud
Studies the unconscious mind & how it influences human behavior
Specifically interested in the conflicts that arise from unconscious desires & social norms
Used free association & dream analysis to study personality

9. Contemporary Approaches
Behavioral Psychology
Established by Ivan Pavlov
Famous for the “Pavlov’s Dog Experiment”
Established the principle of a conditioned response
Believed psychology should only concern itself with observable behavior
Other famous behaviorists, John B. Watson & B.F. Skinner

10. Contemporary Approaches
Humanistic Psychology
Each person has the freedom to direct their future & achieve personal growth
People are unique & have potential for full development
Developed in response to behaviorism & psychoanalysis
Famous Humanists, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, & Rollo May

11. Contemporary Approaches
Cognitive Psychology
Looks at how we process, store, and retrieve information & how those processes influence our behavior
Famous Cognitivists, Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, and Leon Festinger
Biological Psychology
Look at how physical & chemical changes in our bodies influence our behavior
Psychobiologists will use PET scans & CAT scans to study people

12. Contemporary Approaches
Sociocultural Psychology
The newest approach in psychology
Look at how ethnicity, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status influence human behavior