Schultz History of Psychology 11e PPT Chapter 01

Chapter 1: The Study of the History of Psychology

Overview

  • Authors: Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz

  • Context: 11th Edition of the text

Key Topics

  • Did You See the Clown?

  • Importance of Studying History of Psychology

  • Development of Modern Psychology

  • Reconstructing Psychology’s Past

  • Contextual Forces in Psychology

  • Conceptions of Scientific History

  • Schools of Thought in Modern Psychology

  • Plan of the Book

  • Discussion Questions

Did You See the Clown?

Experiment Overview

  • Conducted by Ira Hyman, Western Washington University.

  • A student dressed as a clown rode around campus to test attention.

  • Results:

    • 70% of people walking with others noticed the clown.

    • 75% of those on cell phones did not notice him.

Inattentional Blindness

  • Defined as failing to notice visible, unexpected stimuli due to lack of attention.

  • Example: Participants missed a woman with an umbrella in a familiar scene.

Results and Conclusions

  • Multitasking reduces detail awareness—supports the challenge of multitasking.

  • Historical studies influence contemporary psychology.

Why Study the History of Psychology?

Importance of Historical Study

  • Many psychology departments require coursework on the history.

  • Distinguishes psychology from natural sciences.

Reasons for Study

  • Significant contribution to psychological understanding.

  • No singular approach to psychology exists.

  • History shapes current expertise and integrates various issues in psychology.

The Development of Modern Psychology

Roots of Psychology

  • Derived from ancient philosophical ideas by thinkers like Plato and Aristotle.

  • Addressed subjects like memory, learning, motivation, perception, and abnormal behavior.

Integration of Fields

  • Modern psychology blends philosophy and physiology with methods inspired by physical sciences.

  • Leads to increased precision and objectivity.

The Data of History: Reconstructing Psychology’s Past

Data Types in Psychology

  • Laboratory experiments, behavioral observations, surveys, and statistical correlations.

Historical Challenges

  • Historical data may be fragmented, unreliable, or lost.

  • Historiography: the study of how we research historical events.

Lost and Distorted Data

  • Examples of important data that was lost:

    • John B. Watson's documents burned.

    • Hermann Ebbinghaus' works found posthumously.

    • Charles Darwin’s papers discovered a century later.

Contextual Forces in Psychology

Influencing Factors

  • The cultural zeitgeist impacts psychology's growth, including:

    • Economic opportunities which expand careers in psychology.

    • Job expansions due to World Wars, especially in testing and therapy.

Societal Issues

  • Historical prejudice against women and ethnic minorities hindered access to education and career in psychology.

Conceptions of Scientific History

Theories of Progress

  • Personalistic theory: Views changes as results from individuals' contributions.

  • Naturalistic theory: Attributes change to the general zeitgeist.

  • This text integrates both perspectives.

Schools of Thought in the Evolution of Modern Psychology

Different Schools Overview

  • Structuralism: Focus on conscious experience through Titchener’s contributions.

  • Functionalism: Concerned with adaptability of the mind to environments.

  • Behaviorism: Science of observable behavior led by Watson.

  • Gestalt Psychology: Emphasizes patterns in learning and perception.

  • Psychoanalysis: Freud’s theories on personality and therapy methods.

  • Humanistic Psychology: Focus on conscious experience and holistic human nature.

Characteristics of Schools

  • Each school often has a charismatic leader and may exist concurrently.

Plan of the Book

Chapter Structure

  • Chapters organized to discuss:

    • Philosophical and physiological precursors.

    • Contributions from key figures like Wilhelm Wundt and Freud.

    • Exploration of different schools through various chapters from Structuralism to Humanistic Psychology.

Discussion Questions

  • Differences between historical and scientific data.

  • Influence of contextual forces on modern psychology.

  • Discussion on Zeitgeist and its effects on scientific evolution.

  • Concept of 'school of thought' in psychology and its cyclical nature.