Chapter 7- Functionalism

How did the University of Chicago and Columbia do with functionalism

come back

University of Chicago

·      Rockefeller is the founder

·      Psychology Department began 2 years after founding

 

John Dewey

• reflex arc 

• Coordinated whole and adaptive behavior

• we aren’t robots(adaptable) 

• we learn through experience

what textbooks did John Dewey write 

how we think

How we think(J.Dewey)

1. defined thinking as “adaptation in response to a novel problem situation.” This is in the context in what we have never done before. “Thinking occurs when the organism is forden in its desires.” Meaning that we act different if we do or don’t get what we want.

How did John Dewey change education

·      Changed education so rote memory wasn’t the norm

·      Rote memory was main teaching method- we are given information and recite it back(only)

-   Wanted to teach children how to be creative in remembering

-   More hands on

John Dewey was memeber of APA and president in 1999

·      1910 he was the fourth psychologist elected to the national academy of science. It’s the top people of different sciences

·      Founded the teachers union in NY City

·      With Cattell he found the AAUP(the American association of University Professors)

 

The reflex arc

the distinction between stimulus and response

Dewey argued “behavior or conscious experience can not be simply reduced to elements(Wundt and Titchener differed).

the flame example(reflex arc)

after feeling the effects of the flame the child will not go back to touch it. The child learns from its mistakes

James Rowland Angell

• took functionalism to the next level

• wrote textbook

• Involved in the APA

James Rowland Angell

“psychology, and introduction study of the study and function of human consciousness”

James R. Angell involvement in the apa 

presidental address was about structalism v. functionalism 

what did structuralism involve?

• Structuralism involves conscious content(chapter 5)

• Structuralism- analysis into elements (breaking the whole down to its parts)

• -   Structuralism sees us as passive

Functional Psychology is the psychology of mental operations, in contrast of structuralism 

• structuralism is the psychology of mental elements 

• functionalism is to discoer how a mental process operates, what it accomplished and under what conditions in occurs 

Functionalism psychology is the psychology of the fundamental utilities of consciousness. 

• looks at the organism and how it adapts and survives in its enviomenent

Functional psychology is the psychology of functional relations

its considered with with the total relationship of the organism in the environment

Harvey Carr

• dissertation “A Visual Illusion of Motion During Eye Closure”

• APA president

A visual illusion of motion during eye closure

Research with animal behaviors involve mazes

-   Discrimination boxes(the t- box). Involves one single choice. The idea of the reflex

-   Also used problem box(the food was in this corner but have to figure out)

Henry Carr was APA president 

-   Behaviorism started in 1913

-   Fighting for an idea that was dead

“When he has dealing with animals, I am a behavioralist (can’t see what’s going on in head). When dealing with humans, I am a mentalist (we have to consider what human beings think

George Hurbet Mead

gave functional definition of meaning

Titchener gave structuralism definition with meaning

-   Gives whatever function of the object(many functions) at that moment

who is the only columbia functionalists in the chapter

robert sessions woodworth

robert sessions woodworth

dynamic pyschology-considered with motivation 

• eb thorndike 

• wrote history of psychology 

dynamic psychology 

Woodworths dynamic psychology focused on cause and effect relationships, with its primary focus drives humans 

EB throndike is known for law of effect

if a behavior is followed by punishment, it is less likely to be repeated; on the other hand, if the behavior is followed by reinforcement, it is more likely to be repeated

• Basis for behaviorism

• transfer training

transfer training

Idea that if you learn on thing, it will help you learn another thing.

• i.e.- if you learned Latin, it would help you learn French

• tested with groups, BUT its not as simple

some things have positive transfer and some have negative transfer

testing of transfer training 

-   One group was taught to estimate the area of a square and the other group was taught to judge the length of a line. After they were taught, they would learn the opposite. If transfer of training occurred each would learn fast to the other group

Herbert Spenser Took Survival of the Fittest farther than Darwin

the idea that only the best survive. Any programs, people, or business that can’t survive should become extinct

• later became known as social darwinism