2 Foundations and Early Schools of Thought

A vocabulary flashcard deck covering the founding figures, key definitions, and early schools of thought in psychology based on the lecture notes.

Wilhelm Wundt

German psychologist (1832–1920) known as the "Father of psychology" who established the first psychology laboratory in 1879 in Germany and emphasized objective scientific methods to measure the mind.

Structuralism

An approach to psychology associated with Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener that explores the mind and behavior in terms of its basic elements of psychological experience.

Edward Titchener

A student of Wundt (1867–1927) who advocated for structuralism, focusing on identifying the individual elements of consciousness and how they can be combined and integrated.

Introspection

A process involving precise and controlled observation where trained subjects carefully describe their own psychological experiences while working on mental tasks.

Self observation

A type of introspection involving reflection on one's own thoughts, which was deemed unscientific due to its subjectivity.

Internal perception

A type of introspection that avoided reflection to simply observe and report inner experiences, considered an empirical method because it could follow experimental procedures.

Functionalism

An approach to psychology founded by William James that aims to understand why animals and humans have developed particular psychological traits and how organisms use their abilities to function in their environment.

William James

An American academic (1842–1910) influenced by Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection who founded functionalism and viewed consciousness as fluid, continuous, dynamic, and unique to each individual.

Gestalt Psychology

An approach founded by Max Wertherheimer centered on the belief that humans naturally seek out patterns or wholes in sensory information, emphasizing that perception influences thinking and problem solving.

Max Wertherheimer

The founder of Gestalt Psychology who proposed that the essence of an entity is derived from its complete form, asserting that "the whole is more important than the sum of its parts."

Psychodynamic Psychology

An approach to human behavior founded by Sigmund Freud that focuses on the role of unconscious thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Sigmund Freud

An Austrian medical doctor specializing in disorders of the nervous system who founded psychodynamic psychology and proposed that psychological issues stem from repressed childhood traumas.

Conscious

In Freud's levels of consciousness, the level containing material that an individual is actively aware of, such as current thoughts and acceptable desires.

Preconscious

In Freud's levels of consciousness, the level containing material that is not the current focus of conscious attention, such as memories and stored knowledge, but can easily be brought to mind.

Unconscious

In Freud's levels of consciousness, the level containing material that is not available to the conscious mind, such as shameful experiences, aggression, and unacceptable sexual desires.