C1_DPSY1113

Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology

Foundations of Psychology

• Philosophical issues and concepts serve as the foundation for the study of psychology.

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to define the history of psychology and its existence.

• Identify various approaches to writing the history of psychology.

• Examine reasons for studying the history of psychology.

What is History of Psychology?

• Definition: The history of psychology involves the study of how historical perspectives shaped the discipline.

• Understanding its origins helps clarify the principles that govern the field.

Early Perspectives in Psychology

Ancient Explanations

• Ancient man utilized witch doctors and traditional medicine men to interpret dreams, mental illness, and emotions.

Influential Philosophers

• Greek Philosophers: Theories revolved around cognitive processes.

• Psychology became a distinct scientific discipline in the 19th century.

Terminology

Greek Roots

• Psyche: Refers to "soul" or "mind".

• Logos: Means "study of a subject".

• Together they denote the study of the mind or soul.

Approaches to Writing History

Presentism vs. Historicism

• Presentism: Evaluating historical events with contemporary knowledge and standards.

• Historicism: Studying the past without interpreting it against modern standards.

Different Approaches to Writing History

• Zeitgeist Approach: Considers the influence of the social, economic, and political context on psychology.

• Great-Person Approach: Focuses on influential individuals (e.g., Freud, Plato).

• Historical Development Approach: Examines how events and individuals contribute to changes in psychological thought.

• Eclectic Approach: A combination of the above approaches.

Importance of Studying History of Psychology

Greater Awareness

• Understanding the origins of psychology adds depth to one's knowledge.

• Recognizing historical fads helps in discerning valid research from trends influenced by societal factors.

Avoiding Mistakes

• Familiarity with historical errors helps prevent recurrence of past mistakes in research and practice.

• Familiarity with earlier ideas fosters the discovery of valuable concepts that may have been overlooked.

Characteristics of Science

• Rationalism: Uses mental principles for true knowledge acquisition.

• Empiricism: Knowledge arises from sensory observations.

• Science encompasses empirical observation and theory development.

Scientific Observation

• Involves organized direct observation of nature, noting similarities and differences among observations.

Scientific Theory

• Organizes empirical data and acts as a guide for future observations.

• Leads to confirmable propositions that can be tested.

Goals of Science

• Discover causal relationships between events.

• Classify scientific laws into correlational and causal laws.

Determinism in Science

• Assumes lawful operations in natural phenomena.

• Indicates the potential for accurate predictions once causes are identified.

Evolution of Scientific Thought

Traditional Science vs. Modern Views

• Traditional view includes observation, theory testing, and the assumption of determinism.

• Karl Popper's View: Emphasizes the importance of falsifiability in scientific theory, positing that a theory must make testable predictions.

Principle of Falsifiability

• Examples illustrate that a scientific theory's capacity to be disproven is essential for it to be considered scientific.

Kuhn's Perspective

• Paradigms: A set of beliefs and values guiding scientific inquiry within a community.

• Normal Science: Involves solving problems within established paradigms.

• Revolutionary Science: Occurs when anomalies lead to the development of new paradigms.

Comparison of Popper and Kuhn

• Popper promotes a creative problem-solving approach in science, unlike Kuhn's focus on conventional understanding.

• Kuhn argues that scientific truth is relative to paradigm shifts.

Timeline of Psychological Schools of Thought

Key Historical Stages

• Greek Philosophers (5th century BC)

• Renaissance (14th–17th century)

• Empiricism (17th century)

• Physiology/Experimental Psychology (19th century)

• Structuralism (Early 20th century)

• Functionalism (Late 19th/Early 20th century)

• Psychoanalysis (Early 20th century)

• Behaviorism (Early 20th century)

• Gestalt Psychology (20th century)

• Humanistic Psychology (Mid 20th century)

• Cognitive Psychology (Mid 20th century)

• Contemporary Psychology (~1960s)

Persistent Questions in Psychology

• Universal truths about humanity?

• The nature of human aggression or goodness?

• Relationship between the mind and body?

Types of Dualism

• Interactionism: Mind-body interaction.

• Emergentism: Mental states arise from brain activity.

• Epiphenomenalism: Brain causes mental events.

• Psychophysical Parallelism: Mind and body function independently but in parallel.

Discussion Questions

1. Assess different historical writing approaches in psychology.

2. Popper's objections to theories like those of Freud and Adler.

3. Nativist vs. empiricist views on human attributes' origins.

4. How do empiricists and rationalists explain learning?