Introduction to The New Psychology

The New Psychology

• The New Psychology emerged as a distinct field of study approximately 140 years ago.
• Ebbinghaus noted the field's relatively brief history as a science just over 100 years ago.
• The invention of the clock in the 17th century was a technological marvel, similar to the impact of computers in the 20th century.
• The regularity and precision of clocks led scientists and philosophers to view them as models for understanding the universe.
• Scientists like Robert Boyle, Johannes Kepler, and René Descartes believed the universe was a vast clock, created and set in motion by a divine clockmaker.

Determinism and Reductionism

• The clock metaphor for the universe encompasses the concept of Determinism, which suggests that every action or event is determined by past events.
• The clock's predictable and orderly functioning allowed scientists to deduce the universe's behavior based on its internal dynamics.
• Reductionism gained popularity through the analysis of machines like clocks, where understanding their workings involved dissecting them into basic components.

Automata and the Implications for Human Behavior

• Advanced mechanical constructs known as automata emerged, demonstrating human-like movement and action for entertainment.
• Descartes and other philosophers viewed automata as models for human beings, suggesting that our bodies function like complex machines.
• Descartes compared the body to a machine crafted by God, emphasizing its superior design and capabilities compared to human-made machines.

Charles Babbage and the Dawn of Artificial Intelligence

• Charles Babbage (1791-1871) was a mathematical prodigy seeking to develop a machine that could perform mathematical operations faster than humans and print the results.
• Babbage's calculating engine, a precursor to modern computers, marked the first attempt to replicate human cognitive processes and explore artificial intelligence.

Empiricism and René Descartes

• The 17th century witnessed a rise in empiricism, a scientific approach that emphasized observation and experimentation.
• Descartes's contributions to modern psychology centered around resolving the mind-body problem.

The Mind-Body Problem

• Descartes explored the relationship between the mind (the mental world) and the body (the material world).
• Scholars had long debated whether the mind and body are separate entities or how they interact.
• Traditionally, the mind was seen as influencing the body, while the body had limited influence on the mind.
• Descartes proposed a mutual interaction between mind and body, a radical idea for its time.

Descartes's Approach to the Mind-Body Problem

• Descartes proposed that the mind and body are distinct but capable of interacting within the human organism.
• Matter, which comprises the body, possesses extension in space and operates according to mechanical principles.
• The mind, on the other hand, is free, non-material, unextended, and possesses the capacity for thought.
• Descartes argued that the body, as a physical entity, is subject to the laws of physics and mechanics. He visualized the body as a machine with intricate components like pipes, engines, and springs.
• Descartes explained bodily movements in terms of involuntary actions, leading to the concept of the undulatio reflexa, a reflex action not directed by conscious will.
• This concept paved the way for stimulus-response (S-R) psychology, where an external stimulus triggers an involuntary response.

Descartes's Contributions to Psychology

• Descartes contributed to the growing belief that human behavior is predictable, with mechanical bodily processes responding to known inputs.
• Contemporaneous physiological discoveries, like William Harvey's work on blood circulation and studies on digestion, corroborated Descartes's mechanistic understanding of the body.
• Descartes argued that the non-material mind, with its capacity for thought, perceives and influences the body.
• He believed the mind and body interact at a single point in the brain, identifying the pineal gland (conarium) as the focal point for this interaction.
• Descartes used mechanistic terms to depict the mind-body interaction, suggesting that the flow of "animal spirits" in the nerve tubes creates sensations in the mind.

Descartes's Legacy

• Descartes believed that the mind's reasoning ability is the key to understanding truth.
• His work significantly shaped the development of modern psychology, emphasizing the importance of observation, experimentation, and mechanistic explanations for human behavior.