History of Psychology, Ch. 5

The early schools of American psychology

Scientific theory with the greatest impact on the broad community of sciences, regarded practically as fact.

Darwin's theory of natural/sexual selection

One of the earliest American converts to Darwin's theory. Had great influence on William James who influenced many other American psychologists.

Chauncey Wright

Prominent issue at beginning of the field of experimental psychology in America.

Debate over "pure" science vs. application

Research done without regard to any practical benefits. The search for knowledge for knowledge's sake. Viewed as superior form of science.

"Pure" science

Research seen by some as tainted, because it is designed to have some practical application.

Applied science

Founded school of structuralism. Sought to reduce conscious experience to its irreducible components, identify those elements, and discover how/why they become grouped/arranged.

Edward Titchener

School of psychology that emphasized discovering the structure of consciousness.

Structuralism

Method of psychology used by Titchener to study the structure of consciousness.

Introspection

Titchener allowed his observers to function automatically in making their inner observations without unduly disturbing the ongoing mental process. Helped avoid stimulus error.

Introspective habit

3 elements of consciousness according to Titchener.

Sensations, images, feelings

4 attributes of sensations and images in consciousness, according to Titchener.

Quality, intensity, clearness, duration (Feelings lacked clearness)

Psychological organization Titchener founded due to his loss of interest in the APA, 1904. Attendance was by invitation only, and no girls allowed.

The Experimentalists (after his death: Society for Experimental Psychology)

First American woman to receive a PhD in psychology. Was Titchener's first doctoral student. Best known for the book The Animal Mind, published 1908.

Margaret Floy Washburn

First uniquely American school of psychology that sought to understand the utility of consciousness. Questioned its adaptive value and how it came to be. Opposed structuralism.

Functionalism

Functional psychologist who started the functionalist movement with an 1896 article on the reflex arc. Argued reflex should be viewed as a whole/circuit, not an arc.

John Dewey

Chief spokesperson for functionalism. Elected president of the APA in 1906 and used his presidential address to attack structuralism.

James Rowland Angell

3 conceptions that describe functionalism, identified by Angell.

Studies mental operations, not elements; seeks to identify fundamental utilities of consciousness; is a psychophysical psychology, w/ significant mind-body relationship

Published a 1918 book Dynamic Psychology, which took issue with structuralism and behaviorism. Published books that distinguished between experimental vs. correlational studies, introduced terms "independent/dependent variable" to field, defined experiments. Applied psychology to different fields.

Robert Woodworth

Fate of structuralism.

Died w/ Titchener in 1927

Fate of functionalism.

Disappeared, ideas usurped in modern psychology under different labels, pioneered work in many areas: child psych, abnormal psych, mental testing, clinical psych, i/o psych, etc.