Foundations of Psychology Historical Perspectives

What is psychology?

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes

What was Plato’s philosophy?

Nativism, or the belief that certain types of knowledge is innate

What was Aristotle’s philosophy?

Philosophical empiricism, or the belief that all knowledge is acquired through experience

What was Descartes’ philosophy?

Dualism, or the belief that the mind and body are separate entities that interact with each other

Who was Wilhelm Wundt?

The “Father of Psychology” who

• Promoted the belief that experimental methods should be used to study mental processes

• Wrote the first psychology textbook

• Established the first psychology research lab at the University of Leipzig, Germany (1879)

• Helped develop structuralism

What is structuralism?

The theory that complex conscious experiences could be analyzed upon breaking them down into their elemental parts or structures

Who was Edward Titchener?

A student of Wilhelm Wundt who promoted structuralism

Who was William James?

A Harvard psychologist who was influential in establishing psychology in the U.S.

• Advocated for functionalism

What is functionalism?

The theory that focuses on how behaviors and mental processes function to allow people and animals to adapt to their environment and how these traits have evolved

Who inspired functionalism?

Charles Darwin, who believed that behavioral and mental adaptations evolved via natural selection

Who was Sigmund Freud?

The founder of psychoanalytic theory, which is the belief that unconscious mental processes shape feelings, thoughts, and behaviors

What did a psychoanalysis approach to theory emphasize?

• Childhood experiences and early relationships

• Relationship between the patient and the therapist

• Resistance to therapy

• Defense mechanisms

• Dream interpretation

What is behaviorism?

The view that psychology should focus on observable behaviors learned through the environment or conditioning, rather than mental processes

Who were the three essential contributors to behaviorism? What did each do?

1. Ivan Pavlov: developed the principles of classical conditioning

2. John Watson: extended behavioral psychology to focus on humans

3. B.F. Skinner: developed the principles of operant conditioning (behaviors shaped by consequences)

What is humanistic psychology?

A perspective that focused on the positive potential for human growth, emphasizing happiness, well-being, and flourishing

Who were the proponents of humanistic psychology?

Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow

What sparked the creation of humanistic psychology?

The dark side of the Freudian school and the behaviorist school, which focused on animal models

What are parts of the biological revolution?

• Neurotransmission

• The Human Genome Project (~20,000 genes)

• Epigenetics (how our environment and lifestyle affect gene expression)

• Neuroscience & neuroimaging techniques