Key Concepts in American Psychology, Functionalism, & Behaviourism

Functionalism, Behaviorism & Neobehaviorism Notes

Early American Psychology

  • Four Stages:
    • Moral & Mental Philosophy: Religion linked with psychology to argue logic about God.
    • Intellectual Philosophy: Evolved into a separate discipline; emphasized consciousness, sense perception, memory.
    • US Renaissance: Compatible psychology focusing on evolution and individual differences; led to Structuralism.
    • Functionalism: Focused on how mind and behavior adapt to environment; used diverse methodologies (introspection, experiments).
  • Eight Characteristics of Functionalism:
    • Opposed sterile consciousness search favored by Structuralism.
    • Aimed to explore the function of the mind (adaptation) rather than its components.
    • Advocated for a practical science applicable to life (education, industry).
    • Inclusive of animal and abnormal psychology; encouraged diverse methods.
    • Emphasized understanding motivation for behavior.
    • Valued both mental processes and behavior as subjects of inquiry; accepted introspection.
    • More ideographic (individual differences) than nomothetic (similarities).
    • Influenced largely by William James.

William James

  • Biography:
    • Key figure in functionalism; faced a crisis in early career, leading to an interest in psychology.
    • Crisis: Suffered depression and sought answers in psychology after understanding free will.
    • Pragmatism: Ideas judged by utility; embraced different investigative methods for phenomena outside scientific purview.
    • Books: "Principles of Psychology" (1890).
  • Concepts:
    • Wundt's Approach: Rejected focus on isolated parts of the mind; promoted understanding functions and adaptations.
    • Stream of Consciousness:
    1. Reflects personal experiences.
    2. Continuous and indivisible.
    3. Constantly changing; like "no two rivers are alike."
    4. Selective attention to competing ideas.
    5. A functional mechanism aiding in adaptation.
    • Habits:
    • Developed through experience; can simplify and improve behavior.
    • Practical guidelines for habit formation.
    • Self's Concept: Differentiates between empirical self (material, social, spiritual) and 'I' (self-awareness).
    • Theory of Emotions: Reverses traditional views; actions lead to emotional responses; known as James-Lange theory.
    • Free Will & Voluntary Behavior: Highlighted the importance of free will in psychology; ideas control behaviors.
    • Pragmatism's Role: Advocated for a dynamic view of truth based on utility, merging optimism and pessimism of human experience.

Hugo Münsterberg

  • Main Contributions: Advocated for applied psychology; focused on understanding and treating abnormal behavior.
  • Clinical Psychology: Studied and treated mental illness; reciprocal antagonism technique.
  • Forensic Psychology: Applied psychological principles in legal settings; proposed the use of psychological methods over aggressive interrogation techniques.
  • Industrial Psychology: Explored efficiency in business through psychological principles.

Mary Whiton Calkins

  • Challenges & Discrimination: Faced opposition in academic pursuits due to gender; battled for recognition at Harvard.
  • Rediscovered Techniques: Invented paired-association learning method; influential work on memory.
  • Self-Psychology Pioneer: Promoted the significance of the self in psychology; first female president of the APA.

Granville Stanley Hall

  • Achievements: Established American psychology lab; influential in founding developmental psychology.
  • Views on Education: Advocated against coeducation based on developmental theories.
  • Psychology & Religion: Explored the link between adolescence and religious thought without dogma.

Francis Cecil Sumner & Kenneth Clark

  • Sumner: First African American to earn a Ph.D. in psychology; promoted African American higher education.
  • Clark: Conducted impactful research on segregation's effects on children; first black APA president.

John Dewey

  • Founder of Functionalism: Aimed to apply psychological principles practically in education.
  • Reflective Thinking: Concept of reflexes; focused on education as hands-on and progressive.

James Rowland Angell & Harvey Carr

  • Angell's Focus: Encouraged practical applications of psychological theory.
  • Carr's Contributions: Integrated adaptive behavior with study methodologies, emphasizing learning's role.

James McKeen Cattell & Robert Sessions Woodworth

  • Cattell: Promoted applied psychology; influential educator and journal editor.
  • Woodworth: Coined dynamic psychology; studied the organism's internal motivations operating in behavior.

Edward Lee Thorndike

  • Animal Research Pioneer: Developed ideas of learning through behavioral approaches.
  • Puzzle Box Experiment: Explored cat learning responses through trials., leading to connectionism theory.

James Mark Baldwin

  • Contributions to Psychology: Established Canada's first psychology lab; linked evolutionary theory with functionalism.

Introduction to Behaviorism

  • Ivan M. Sechenov: Focused on inhibition and all behavior being a response to external stimuli.
  • Pavlov's Conditioning: Developed conditioned reflex theory; recognized importance of physiological processes in behavior.
  • John B. Watson: Introduced behaviorism; rejected introspection, focusing on observable behavior and environmental influences.
  • Skinner and Operant Behavior: Analyzing the relationship between behavior and its consequences; promoted programmed learning techniques.

Contemporary State of Behaviorism

  • Decreased prominence compared to cognitive psychology, but remains foundational for understanding observable behavior in psychology today.