INTRODUCTION & CHAPTER 1. Definition: science of behavior and mental processes The word...

INTRODUCTION & CHAPTER 1

Definition: science of behavior and mental processes

The word psychology comes from the Greek words psyche - mind and logia - study of

Emphasis on SCIENCE – psychology seeks empirical knowledge

It is best described as a combination of physiology and philosophy

I. Psychology’s Roots – the history

Wilhelm Wundt, Sigmund Freud, John Watson Is this the beginning?

The ideas/discussions go way back:

The earliest written discussion about psychological issues:

The recorded dialogues of Plato (428-347 B.C.E.), then his student Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.)are the first evidence of psychological discussions

A. Prescientific psychology:

Remember the Socratic Method

•1. Plato (428 – 327 B.C.E.) believed character and intelligence were inborn & inherited

•2. Aristotle ( 384 – 322 B.C.E.) believed people come into the world with a mind that is a blank slate “tabla rasa”

Life, the environment, experiences write on the slate to make us the people we are

The beginning of the infamous “nature vs. nurture” argument

3. The earliest personality theory:

Galen’s theory of bodily humors (often attributed to Hippocrates)

Personality was affected by levels of 3 biles (humors) in the body:

1. Black bile

2. Yellow bile

3. White bile

Makes one melancholy

Makes one phlegmatic

Makes one choleric

The right balance of biles makes one

sanguine

Forward to the Renaissance

Back to Nature v. Nurture –

4. Galileo – new concept of mechanism

5. Copernicus – observation as a part of science

6. Rene Des Cartes (1596 – 1650) resumes the dialogue

He views man as having 2 innate ideas, everything else comes from the environment1. Self 2. god

“I think, therefore, I

am”

8. John Locke (1632 – 1704) – believed man was born with a “blank slate”

“..life, liberty and property..

So ends pre-scientific psych.

7. Sir Francis Bacon – encouraged empiricism in science

B. Scientific Psychology – begins in 1879 *

1. Wilhelm Wundt (1832 – 1920) – the father of psychology•A scientist with a medical degree, he felt a new discipline was needed

•He researched inner sensations, having subjects identify the structure of thoughts

Method of study - introspection

*1879 – Wundt establishes psych. lab. at Univ. of Leipzig

Structuralism = “Lego Theory”

Wundt’s type of psych. becomes known as Structuralism

Wundt believed all people have the same components for thought, but each person assembles them differently

William James (1842 – 1910) of America develops his own type – focusing on the FUNCTION of thought•Known as the father of American psychology•Physician, then philosopher, he went to Europe and studied with Wundt

•Wrote the 1st real manual of psych in 1890 -

•His method: introspection

•His type of psych becomes known as Functionalism

Psychology is changing & growing so fast, both structuralism & functionalism are defunct by early 1900sOther early leaders:

1. Hermann Ebbinghaus – classic memory studies

2. Sigmund Freud – develops psychoanalytic theory

3. Ivan Pavlov – studies on learning (conditioning)

4. John Watson – develops behaviorism

5. Max Wertheimer – develops Gestalt psych

6. Jean Piaget – cognitive, developmental work with kids

II. Major Perspectives – 6

A. Neuropsychology

1. Founder – no one person, many scientists contributed

2. Focus – explaining human experience thru brain chemistry and other anatomical functioning

- Role of neurotransmitters, areas & organs of the brain, hormones

3. Techniques of study – brain scans, electrical stimulation, lesioning, chemical analysis

B. Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic:

1. Founder – Sigmund Freud

2. Focus – the UNCONSCIOUS MIND

3. Technique – Professional psychoanalysis: dream analysis, free association, hypnosis to reveal unconscious conflicts

•Childhood, drives for sex and aggression – resulting conflict

C. Behaviorism:

1. Founder – John Watson•Major figures – B.F. Skinner, Pavlov

2. Focus – LEARNING (always)•Study only what is observable and measurable, stimulus and response (or the reverse) in the organism

3. Technique – experiments/training of animals

•No free will

D. Cognitive:

1. No one founder

2. Focus – very broad field: thinking, intelligence, memory, language, problem-solving, all associated with THINKING

3. Technique - varies widely, depending on the subject

•Cognitive psych also embraces Gestalt psych

Gestalt = “whole”, perceptual studies

E. Humanism:

1. Founders – Abraham Maslow & Carl Rogers

2. Focus – FEELINGS & EMOTIONS

•Human goodness, potential for success & happiness, need for unconditional positive regard, the present, mental health, free will

3. Technique – humanist therapy, interviews

1. Founder – no one individual

F. Social/Cultural psychology:

2. Focus – the impact of the social situation on the individual/effect of culture on thinking and behavior

3. Methods – interviews, field experiments, surveys

2 newer perspectives:

•Behavior genetics

•Evolutionary psychology

How much do genes and heredity influence behavior? Twin studies, breeding experiments. Leader – R. Plomin

Nature selects traits that are “fit” and promote continuation of one’s genes. Based on Darwin’s theory