Psychology And Its History PDF

MODULE #1 Psychology and Its History… Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Learning Targets MODULE #1 1-1 Explain how psychology is a science and why the “rat is always right”....

MODULE #1 Psychology and Its History… Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Learning Targets MODULE #1 1-1 Explain how psychology is a science and why the “rat is always right”. 1-2 Describe the three key elements of the scientific attitude and how they support scientific inquiry. 1-3 Describe how psychology developed from early understanding of mind and body to the beginnings of modern science. 1-4 Describe some important milestones in psychology’s early development. 1-5 Explain how behaviorism, Freudian psychology, and humanistic psychology furthered the development of psychological science. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 How is psychology a science? Underlying all science is a passion to explore & understand without misleading or being misled. However, some questions are beyond science & require a leap of faith or innate belief to be answered (beliefs are commonly mislabeled as feelings). Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 “THE RAT IS ALWAYS RIGHT” Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Critical Thinking Critical Thinking: Examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, & assess conclusions. Many leaders of the scientific revolution, such as Copernicus & Newton, were deeply religious & believed that “in order to love & honor God, it is necessary to fully appreciate the wonders of his handiwork.” Critical thinking can lead to surprising findings, debunk popular presumptions & identify effective policies. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 How did psychology develop from early understandings of mind and body to the beginnings of modern science? Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY In ancient Greece, Socrates (469 to 399) & Plato (428 to 348) concluded the mind is separable from the body & continues after the body dies; & that knowledge is innate. Socrates Plato Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY Aristotle (384 to 322) derived principles from careful observations & concluded that knowledge grows from the experience stored in our memories. Aristotle Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY When modern science began to flourish in the 1600s, new theories of human behavior & new versions of ancient debates emerged. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY Frenchman Rene Descartes (1595 to 1650) agreed with Socrates & Plato. To answer the question of how the immaterial mind & physical body communicate, he dissected animals & concluded that the fluid in the brain’s cavities that flowed through the nerves contained animal spirits & provoked movement. He was right that nerve paths are important & enable reflexes. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY English Science took a more down to earth form, centered on experiments, experience, & commonsense judgment. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY Englishman Francis Bacon (1561 to 1626) was a founder of modern science whose influence lingers in the experiments of today’s psychological science. He argued that scientific knowledge is obtained after making observations and then utilizing inductive reasoning to interpret the observations. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY British political philosopher, John Locke (1632 to 1704), created one of history’s greatest late papers titled “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. Argued that the mind at birth is a tabula rasa (blank slate) which, adding to Bacon’s ideas, helped form modern empiricism. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 PRE-SCIENTIFIC PSYCHOLOGY Empiricism: The idea that knowledge comes from experience, & that observation & experimentation enable scientific knowledge. Psychological Science is Born Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 What were some important milestones in psychology’s early development? Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Psychology’s First Laboratory Modern day psychology was born in December 1879 at Germany’s University of Leipzig, when Wilhelm Wundt wanted to create an experimental apparatus to measure the “atoms of the mind”. Wilhelm Wundt (1832 to 1920): Wundt established the first psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, Germany. In 1883, Wundt’s American Student G. Stanley Hall went on to establish the first formal U.S. psychology laboratory, at John Hopkins University. Wilhelm Wundt Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Psychology’s First Schools of Thought Structuralism After receiving his Ph.D. in 1892, Wundt’s student Edward Bradford Titchener joined Cornell faculty & introduced structuralism. Structuralism: An early school of thought promoted by Wundt & Titchener; used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind. Edward Bradford Titchener (1867 to 1927): Used introspection to search for the mind’s structural elements. Titchener aimed to classify & understand elements of the mind’s structure (periodic table). Introspection: The process of looking inward in an attempt to directly observe one’s own psychological process. Proved unreliable because it required smart, verbal people & results varied Edward Bradford Titchener from person to person & experience to experience. Moreover, we often don't know why we feel what we feel & do what we do. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Psychology’s First Schools of Thought FUNCTIONALISM William James (1842 to 1920) & Mary Whiton Calkins (1863 to 1930): James was a legendary teacher-writer who authored an important 1890 psychology text. He mentioned Calkins, who became a pioneering memory researcher & the first woman to be president of the American Psychological Association. Thinking developed because it was adaptive, helping our ancestors survive & reproduce. Consciousness serves as a function , as it enables us to consider our past, adjust our present, & plan our future. Functionalist: An early school of thought promoted by James & influenced by Darwin; explored how mental & behavioral processes function & how they enable the organism to adapt, survive, & flourish. Jame authored the “Principles of Psychology (1890)”. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Psychology’s First Women Margaret Floy Washburn (1871 to 1939): The first woman to receive a psychology Ph.D., Washburn synthesized animal behavior research in “The Animal Mind (1908)”. She became the second female APA president in 1921. Her thesis was the first foreign student Wundt published in his psychology journal. Over the past century, psychology has shifted from mostly white, male discipline to one where women now receive most Ph.Ds. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 How did behaviorism, Freudian psychology, and humanistic psychology further the development of psychological science? Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Psychological Science Matures In the early days, many psychologists shared with the English essayist C. S. Lewis’s view that “there is one thing, & only one thing in the whole universe which we know more about than we could learn from external observation” (ourselves). Psychology was defined as “the science of mental life”. C. S. Lewis’s Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Behaviorism This definition endured until John B. Watson & B. F. Skinner redefined psychology as “the scientific study of observable behavior”. Behaviorism: The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Most psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). John B. Watson It was one of the two major forces in psychology well into the 1960s. John B. Watson (1878 to 1958) & Rosalie Rayner (1898 to 1935): Working with Rayner, Watson championed psychology as the scientific study of behavior. In a controversial study on a baby, who became famous as “Little Albert”, he & Rayner showed that fear could be learned. B. F. Skinner (1904 to 1990): This leading behaviorist rejected introspection & studied how consequences shape behavior B. F. Skinner Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Freudian (Psychoanalytic) Psychology Emphasized the ways our unconscious mind & childhood experiences affect our behavior. Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939): The controversial ideas of this famed personality theorist & therapist have influenced humanity’s self-understanding. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC Psychology and Its History… MODULE #1 Humanistic Psychology Humanistic Psychology: A historically significant perspective that emphasized human growth potential. Led by Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow, they found the behaviorism & Freudian psychology too limiting. Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC End of MODULE 1 Developed by Leomar Hermosilla, RGC