Psych 120
General Psychology
Christopher Gade
Office: 1030A
Office hours: MW 4:30-5:30
Email: gadecj@gmail.com
Class MW 1:30-4:30 Room 2240
A Brief History of Psychology
Why do we need to know the
history of psychology?
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To know why our famous historical figures
thought the way they did, and addressed the
topics for which they became famous.
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To sound intelligent when we discuss
psychology with our friends.
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To get an idea of why current areas of
psychology exist today.
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History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time;
it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in
daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.
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Cicero Pro Publio Sestio
The Beginning
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Psychology’s roots come from the field of
philosophy. Within the early conception of this
field, a number of key issues were often
addressed. Three of the major ones were…
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The mind/body/brain problem
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Blank slate dilemma
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Are the mind, brain, and body independent of each other?
Are humans born preprogrammed with behaviors and
knowledge or not?
Free will versus determinism
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Do we have consciousness, or are we automatons responding to
stimuli in our environment?
Socrates (469-399 BC)
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Often cited as one of the first psychologists.
Most of what we know of him was from one
of his “students” Plato.
Supposedly addressed the concept of the soul in his
dialogues, suggesting that it was separate from the body.
This concept was later defined as “dualism”.
Most likely believed that morality and intelligence were
things that were contained within the human at birth
(innate).
Best known for his attempts to study ideas through his
“Socratic Method” of teaching.
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
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The “intellectual grandson” of Socrates.
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Studied under Plato at the Academy.
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Well renowned for his attempts to study a large
spectrum of topics, not just philosophy.
Pushed for a more scientific attempt to understand
the world and the mind.
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“theory must follow fact”
*Came to conclude that the soul was inseparable
from the body.
*Reasoned that our intelligence is not preexisting,
but instead result from experiences.
Our Modern World of Psychology
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Wilhelm Wundt
voondt)
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Established the first
“psychological”
laboratory in Leipzig,
Germany (1879).
Measured different types
of sensory and
physiological responses
to stimuli.
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(pronounce
keys example
Disney movies example
“What are the
components of
experience, or mind?”
Edward Titchener
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Student of Wundt’s
Moved to the US and began
teaching at Cornell University in
1892
Started an area of research labeled
as “structuralism”
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The study of the basic elements and
structures that compose the mind.
The majority of his research was
done through a form of research
called introspection*
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Orange example
*This was originally designed by Wundt,
but was used extensively by Titchener
in his research
William James
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Best known for his introduction of
the concept of “functionalism” in
psychology.
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“Don’t concern yourselves with the parts and
structures of the mind and brain, instead ask:
what is the purpose behind the actions of our
mind?”
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The eye example
Wrote THE most influential book in the field
of psychology: The Principles of Psychology
(1890)
Sigmund Freud
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His theories made the field of psychology
not only popular with the majority of the
population, it also made it “sexy”.
Introduced his ideas of the subconscious, repression, and
psychoanalysis in his book “The Interpretation of Dreams
(1900)”.
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Despite his many shortcomings, a number of his ideas and
methodologies are still in circulation today (though most of
them have been either restructured, or entirely removed
from popular psychology).
A Move to Behaviorism (1920’s)
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A few years after Freud made psychology
popular, a push within the psychological
community shifted the focus of the science in
an entirely different direction.
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“The mind is too vast, our measurements too
limited, and our perceptions to vague and biased
to truly understand the function of our minds
through measurement.”
Many view this change as both an
adjustment to the times, and a reaction to
the changing appearance of the field.
The Cognitive Revolution (1970’s)
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Behaviorism, though very helpful in a number of
areas, cannot explain everything.
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motivation
latent learning
language acquisition
New forms of measurement (EEG, fMRI) have
also begun to separate the field of psychology
away from a strictly behaviorist approach.
Today’s Modern
World of Psychology
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Today’s definition of
psychology
Current goals,
concerns, and
debates
Different areas of
psychology
What you can do
with a degree in
psychology
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Until the previously mentioned work of
Wilhelm Wundt (1879), the field of
psychology was never physically established.
At that time, and until the 1920’s,
psychology was linked to philosophy and
defined as “the scientific study of the mind.”
After the behavioral movement of the
1920’s, psychology = “the study of
behavior.”
After the cognitive revolution of the mid to
late 1900’s, psychology = “the systematic
study of behavior and experience.”
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This definition of “psychology” is considered the
current definition of the field.
The Goal of Psychologist
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Despite what you may be hoping for,
psychologists are not able to “control” human
behavior.
Their goal is to understand and define how
the mind and body play roles in our
interpretations, desires, approaches, and
behaviors.
Current Concerns and Debates
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Mind/brain/body
problem
Stability versus
change
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Theory of evolution
Learning versus
genetics
Crystallized versus
static abilities
Current Concerns and Debates (cont.)
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Free will versus determinism
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Determinism: the belief that everything that happens
has a cause.
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Note: this has both a behavioral and a theological
underpinning.
Free will: the belief that a person’s behavior is caused
by their own independent decisions.
Rationality versus irrationality of the human race
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“Most people would sooner die than think; in fact,
they do so.”
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Bertrand Russell
Nature versus nurture
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Recall that this was disputed already even during the
time of Plato and Aristotle (Tabula Rasa).
Different Areas of Psychology
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Biological Psychology
Evolutionary Psychology
Motivation Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Psychology
Personality Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Cultural Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Clinical Psychology
But, what do psychologists do?
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With a BA or a BS:
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With an MA:
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not much in the area of
psychology
Ergonomics, teaching, I/O,
marketing, counseling, sales,
forensics, research
With a higher degree (PhD,
PsyD, etc.)
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Research, teaching, clinical work
Different Types of Clinical
Psychology
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Clinical Psychologist
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Psychiatrist
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Psychoanalyst
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Clinical Social Worker
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Counseling Psychologist
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Forensic Psychologist
What you need to know…
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Most of today’s topics in psychology can be
traced back to much earlier roots.
Today, psychology is defined as “the systematic
study of behavior and experience.”
There are still a number of highly debated
topics in the field of psychology.
There is a wide array of different topics that
psychologists address.
Psychologists can be found in a large variety of
different occupational fields.
Research in Psychology
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Methods and concerns of psychologists
that conduct research.
Types of experiments that are conducted
in the field of psychology.
The Need for a Scientific Method
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The majority of our earliest psychological theories
were based on speculation or poorly designed
experiments. This was bad for several reasons.
1. Many of the established “rules” of how the mind worked
were contradictory with each other
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“why do we save money” example
2. Psychology quickly acquired the reputation as being
something of a pseudoscience.
3. There was a lack of ability to prove and disprove
theories.
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“Little Green Men” example
The Scientific Push In Psychology
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How do today’s psychologists (good ones)
test that a concept in psychology is true?
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They DON’T
Today’s researchers conduct studies in order to
attempt to prove that certain theories are not
true.
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Disprove other theories
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“No observation can prove a theory to be correct, the only
purpose of research is to find which theories are incorrect.”
 Karl Popper
Note: by disproving other contradictory theories
helps support their own theories
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So how can we argue
for anything to be
true if we only try to
disprove theories?
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Induction: The
process of inferring a
general principle
through multiple
observations.
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Statistical significance
Replication for higher
credibility
How We Explain Observations?
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Today’s psychologists
strive to create theories
that are:
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Disprovable (AKA falsifiable)
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Little Green Men
Replicable
Parsimonious - Results
should be explained through
the most consistent and
simplest conclusion that can
be drawn in the context of
the situation.
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Clever Hans Example
Key Statistical Concepts in Psychology
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Where we conduct
research:
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Types of samples:
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Laboratories
Field studies
Case studies
Questionnaires
Simulations
Convenient
Random
Representative
Cross-cultural
Types of research:
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Oservational
Correlational
Experimental (causal)
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Q: Why do we need to
know about all of this?
A: To make us better
consumers of would-be
facts that we’re exposed to
every day.
*Note: This doesn’t mean
that different practices and
beliefs that aren’t obtained
through this form of
scientific study are wrong.
But you want to be more
cognizant of the shortcomings of these methods
of research when they are
presented to you in the
future.
Live long and
prosper!