0.1 History of Psychology

  • Psychology is the study of behaviour and the mind

    • Behaviour refers to the observable actions of a person or an animal

    • The mind refers to the sensations, memories, motives, emotions, thoughts, and other subjective phenomena particular to an individual or an animal

  • Psychology uses systematic observation and collection of data

    • Answering questions about the mind, behaviour, and their interactions

    • To describe, predict, and explain behaviour and the mental processes underlying behaviour

  • The ancient Greeks’ speculation on the nature of the mind heavily influenced the pre-history of psychology as a science

    • Socrates and his student, Plato, argued that humans possess innate knowledge that is not obtainable by simply observing the physical world

    • Aristotle believed that we derive truth from the physical world

      • Application of logic and systematic observation of the world laid the basis for an empirical, scientific method

  • Dualism is the belief that the mind/spirit and the body are separate; divides all things into the world into two parts: spirit and body

  • René Descartes (1595-1650) continued the dualist view of the human being

    • The physical world and all the creatures in it are like machines that behave in predictable and observable ways

    • Humans were the exception to this rule because they have minds

    • The mind is not observable and not subject to natural laws

  • John Locke (1632-1704) believed that the mind is under the control of Descartes’s natural laws

    • Empiricism is the acquisition of truth through observations and experiences

    • Humans are born as a clean slate, almost knowing nothing; he used the term “tabula rasa” (“blank slate”)

    • All knowledge we have must be learned and from experience; nothing is innate

    • Nurture over nature

  • Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) believed that all things that exist are matter and energy

    • Soul or spirit or even a mind is meaningless (materialism)

    • Consciousness is merely a byproduct of the brain

    • Greatly influenced behaviourism

  • Charles Darwin (1809-1882) proposed a theory of natural selection, which says that all creatures have evolved into their present states over long periods of time

    • Naturally occurring variation among individuals in a species

    • Individuals that are best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce

  • Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) can be considered the founder of the science of psychology

    • Founded a lab to study consciousness in Leipzig, Germany in 1879

    • Hoped to apply his physiological knowledge to study the mind

  • Edward Titchener (1867-1927) was a student in Wundt’s laboratory

    • One of the first people to bring the science of psychology to the U.S.

    • Identify the smallest possible elements of the mind, which would help to understand the greater structure of the mind (structuralism)

  • William James (1842-1910) opposed the structuralist approach and instead said that the function of the mind is more important

    • Heavily influenced by Darwin

    • How the mind fulfills its purpose (functionalism)

  • Dorothea Dix helped found the first public mental hospital in the United States

  • Mary Whiton Calkins was the first female graduate student in psychology, but was denied a PhD because of her gender

  • Margaret Floy Washburn was the first female PhD in psychology, but also the second president of the American Psychological Association (APA)

    • G. Stanley Hall was the first president

Perspectives

Biological/Biopsychological/Neuroscience

  • Explaining psychological processes strictly through biological terms

  • Genes, hormones, neurotransmitters

  • Anatomy and physiology and behaviour

  • CAT scans, MRIs, EEGs, PET scans

Behavioural

  • Explains human thought and behaviour through conditioning

  • Observable behaviour and how we respond to different stimuli

  • Mind and mental events are unimportant, as they cannot be observed

  • Classical conditioning (Ivan Pavlov) and operant conditioning (B.F. Skinner)

Cognitive

  • How we interpret, process, and remember environmental events

  • How we think

  • Decision-making, learning, memory, problem-solving, language, intelligence

Humanistic

  • Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

  • Consciousness, free will, awareness, self actualization, individual choice

  • Personal values and goals

  • Unconditional positive regard

  • Behaviour is guided by physiological, emotional, or spiritual needs

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic

  • Our unconscious mind controls much of our thoughts and actions

  • Repressed impulses or memories

  • Dream analysis, word association, free association, hypnosis

Sociocultural

  • Examines pressure from friends, family, media, religion, culture, etc. (external influences)

  • How our thoughts and behaviours vary among cultures

Evolutionary/Darwinist

  • Examine human thoughts and actions through Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection

  • Some psychological traits may be advantageous for survival, therefore they are passed down

Biopsychosocial

  • Human thoughts and behaviours result from a combination of biological (bio), psychological (psycho), and social (social) factors