Psychology as a science became organized into different branches or schools of thought. First schools: structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism. Followed by Gestalt psychology and psychoanalysis.
A. First Schools of Psychology: 1. Wilhelm Wundt and Structuralism (What happened?) He and Edward Titchener created 1st Psychology lab in 1879 in Germany. Referred to as the Father of Psychology.
Structuralism- early school of thought focusing on revealing the most basic structures or elements of the mind using introspection. Aimed to discover the structural elements of mind. Method: to engage people in self-reflective introspection (looking inward), training them to report elements of their experience as they performed tasks. (looking at a rose, smelled a scent, tasted a substance, heard a song, etc.) Structuralism attempted to break conscious experience into objective sensations such as taste, and record subjective feelings such as emotional responses.
2. William James and Functionalism (Why did it happen?) Created Functionalism- early school of thought that believed mental processes could be best understood in terms of purpose and function. Explored how mental and behavioral processes function- how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, and flourish. James envisioned consciousness as a stream of ideas meaning that a mental process had no static structure but was continually flowing, changing, and interacting with the environment.
Structuralism VS Functionalism - Uses self reflective introspection - Inner sensations, images, and feelings - Examined the structure of mind and thinking - Investigates the function, or purpose of consciousness rather than structure - Stream of consciousness and emotion - Analyzed what the mind is - Analyzed what the mind is for - Wundt and Titchener - James
3. Gestalt Psychology and Max Wertheimer (Perception) Focused on Perceptual wholes. In perception the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. I.E. If we combine sodium (a corrosive metal) with chlorine (a poisonous gas), something very different emergestable salt. Gestalt Psychology focuses on understanding how the brain works by studying perception and perceptual learning. Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler are also founders.
NECKER CUBE: WHAT DO YOU SEE?
4. Behaviorism: (Learning) 1. John Watson and Rosalie Rayner: Developed a perspective that focuses on observable eventsstimuli from the environment and the organism s responses. Dismissed introspection. Redefined psychology as the scientific study of observable behavior.. Science is rooted in observation. Behavior is influenced by learned associations, through a process called conditioning. Little Albert Experiment:
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select--doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and, yes, even the beggar-man and thief John B. Watson (Famous Behaviorist Quote)
4. Behaviorism: (Learning) 2. B.F. Skinner: Everything stemmed from rewards and punishment. E.G. Skinner Box
5. Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud Emphasized unconscious processes, repressed memories, sex, and early childhood experiences. Causes unconscious guilt. Our unconscious thought processes and our emotional responses to childhood experiences affect our behavior. The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind. - Sigmund Freud
6. Carl Rogers and Humanistic Psychologists Rejected the definition of psychology that was current in the 1960s. Rogers and Abraham Maslow found Freudian psychology and behaviorism too limiting. The humanistic psychologists drew attention to ways that our environments could nurture or limit our growth potential and to the importance of having our needs for love and acceptance satisfied.
7. Cognitive Psychology Second grp to rebel against Behaviorism and Freudian psychology. Scientifically explores ways we perceive, process, and remember info. Cognitive neuroscience: study of the brain activity linked with cognition.
How did psychology continue to develop from the 1920s through today? B. Psychology s Three Main Levels of Analysis Levels of Analysis: differing complementary views, from biological to psychological to social-cultural, for analyzing any given phenomenon. Biopsychosocial approach: integrated approach that incorporates levels of analysis.
PSYCHOLOGY S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
PSYCHOLOGY S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
PSYCHOLOGY S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
PSYCHOLOGY S THREE MAIN LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
C. Psychological Approaches/Perspectives Biological psychology Evolutionary psychology Psychodynamic psychology Behavioral psychology Cognitive psychology Humanistic psychology Social-cultural psychology
Approach Biological Evolutionary Focus How the body and brain enable emotions, memories, and sensory experiences; searches for the causes of behavior in the functioning of genes, the brain, and nervous system. How the natural selection of traits promoted the survival of genes.
Approach Focus Psychodynamic How behavior springs from unconscious drives and conflicts. How these conflicts influence behavior. Behavioral How we learn observable responses. Looks to the behavior to explain the mind.
Approach Cognitive Humanistic Focus How we encode, process, store, and retrieve information. Emphasizes mental processes such as learning, memory, perception, and thinking. Sees the brain like a computer- designed as a processor of information. http://www.mindovermood.com A clinical viewpoint emphasizing the positive side of human ability, growth, potential, and free will. Main goal is to reach self-actualization. Sees everyone as the perfect seed capable of achieving success.
Approach Social-cultural Focus How behavior and thinking vary across situations and cultures. How situations and cultural experiences affect our behavior and thinking. EX: eating disorders *Remember: Each of psychology s perspectives is helpful. But sometimes each by itself fails to reveal the whole picture.