Psychology

History of Psychology

Origin

• The development of scientific psychology placed the discipline's origins in Germany at about the middle of the nineteenth century.

• Ferment produced by British and continental philosophies of mind and the advances of research in sensory psychology.

• Christian Wolff. (1679-1754) first popularized the term psychology to designate the study of the mind.

  • Wolff divided the discipline between empirical and rational psychology.

  • Empirical: Data of mind that resulted from observing ourselves.

  • Rational: Interpretation of the data of empirical psychology through the use of reason and logic.

Psychology First Laboratory

• (1875) Has generally been credited to German physician and physiologist Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920).

  • University of Leipzig.

Psychology in Germany

• One of Wundt’s contemporaries who believed that higher mental processes could be the object of experimental investigation was Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909).

  • Inspired by the psychophysics of G. T. Fechner and philosopher J. F. Herbart’s attempt to apply mathematics to mental representations, Ebbinghaus used precise quantitative methods to investigate memory.

  • Ebbinghaus established laboratories at several universities and attracted some students from the States, but his time was increasingly devoted to editing a journal and writing.

Main Branches of Psychology

Clinical Psychology

• Provides comprehensive healthcare to patients who are suffering from mental illness or disorders.

  • Psychologists interact with patients through observations, interviews, and tests before making a diagnosis and coming up with a plan to deal with the symptoms of a mental illness.

Educational Psychology

• Study factors that impact learning, including learning methods and how information is processed and absorbed.

  • Memory, concepts, and individual differences all affect how a person learns.

  • Psychologists apply human development theories to understand better how to improve the instructional process.

Social Psychology

• Strive to understand individual behaviors and personalities within a social context.

  • Study the social factors that influence how people act and the condition in which those actions occur.

  • Most social psychologists research and observe social influence, group processes, prejudice or discrimination, and stereotypes.

Sports Psychology

• Help athletes achieve optimal performance on the field.

  • How sports affect human psychology and vice versa. In an applied setting, sports psychologists work with athletes (from youth to adults), parents, coaches, and more regarding injuries, rehabilitation, positive communication and team-building

Forensic Psychology

• Works in the intersection of the legal system and the field of psychology.

  • They often conduct evaluations and research that help guide legal procedures.

  • Defendant for competency to stand trial or to help train police officers and first responders on how to handle criminals and crime scenes properly.

  • Work in threat assessment.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

• Also known as I/0 psychology also studies how human behavior impacts industry and organizations.

  • Evaluate a work situation and develop a plan for the optimal performance and work-life balance in that situation for the employees.

Psychology of Art

• The study of the perception and experience of the visual arts. music, film, performances, literature, design, and the environment.

  • Art is a human phenomenon, and therefore aesthetics is fundamentally a psychological process. Psychological aesthetics evolved from the study of aesthetics by philosophers such as Baumgarten and Kant.

  • Gustav T. Fechner took aesthetics out of the realm of contemplative musings by developing rigorous procedures for studying the arts. he subjected beliefs derived from philosophical work, such as the Golden Section to empirical investigation.

The Seven Schools

• A school of thought is a group that has similar opinions on philosophy, movements, and intellect. It unifies and identifies those with common beliefs, traditions, or practices concerning a field of study or subject.

Structuralism

• It was founded by Wilhelm Wundt.

  • Explores the structure of the mind by using introspection as a primary tool.

    • Consciousness: Sensation (experiment of perception), images, (element of thoughts), and affection (element of emotions).

Functionalism

• By the American psychologist William James and developed in the late 19th/early 20th century.

  • Focuses on the whole experience. Define a mental state not by what it is made of, but by what it does. A particular mental state depends on its function to be understood.

Psychoanalysis

• Founded by Sigmund Freud. Focused on the workings of the unconscious mind to explain human behavior.

  • Holds that all people have unconscious desires, memories, and thoughts, resulting in repressed emotions.

  • Aims to make these unconscious elements conscious to find catharsis.

Behaviorism

• Founded by John B. Watson in 1924.

  • It emphasizes experience and one’s environment over internal or subconscious forces. Believes that human psychology is better understood through a subject’s behavior rather than their personal beliefs or thoughts.

  • Two important conditions:

    • Operant conditioning:

    • Classical Conditioning: