PSYCHOLOGY
Module 1
The History and Scope of
Psychology
Psychology’s Roots
Prescientific Psychology
 Is the mind connected
to the body or distinct?
 Are ideas inborn or is
the mind a blank slate
filled by experience?
Prescientific Psychology
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
Human Mind held two ideas:
Innate (i.e., belief in “God”)
Derived (all ideas acquired by
experience)
John Locke (1632-1704)
Empiricism – knowledge acquired by observation
All ideas come from experience – no “innate ideas”
Mind is a “blank slate” written on by experience
Psychology’s Roots
 Wilhelm Wundt opened the
first psychology laboratory at
the University of Leipzig (c.
1879)
 Introspection, psychophysical
measurements
 Structuralism used
introspection (looking in) to
explore the elemental
structure of the human mind
Psychology’s Roots
 Max Wertheimer (18801943) Functionalism,
however focused on how
behavioral processes
function—how they enable
organism to adapt,
survive, and flourish
 Gestalt Psychology
Early Milestones
Stanley Hall – 1st laboratory in U.S. (1883)
Herman Ebbinghaus – memory (1885)
William James – founded Functionalism
(1890)
Sigmund Freud – Unconsciousness (1900)
American Psychological Association (1892)
Ivan Pavlov – Behaviorism (1906)
Psychology’s Roots
Figure 1- British Psychological Society membership
Psychology’s Roots
 Definition of Psychology
 The science of behavior (what we do)
and mental processes (sensations,
perceptions, dreams, thoughts,
beliefs, and feelings)
How do we know?
Validity of knowledge:
God is dead.
Abortion is wrong.
There is a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia.
The mind is just like a computer
Attitudes affect cancer
Pornography is harmful
2 + 2 + 4
Philosophical Developments
A
Question: How are mind
and body related?
Dualism - body and soul are separate
but interrelated
origins in medieval religion
soul is seat of intellectual function and will
mind is product of the soul
mind not subject to scientific inquiry
to challenge this was punishable by death
Philosophical Developments
A
Question: How are mind
and body related?
Rene Descartes (1596-1650) - modified
dualism
since animals have no soul, much behavior does
not require soul
the body can therefore control much behavior
led him to study reflexes
the soul’s main function is thought, a uniquely
human attribute
Philosophical Developments
A
Question: How are mind and body
related?
Materialism: Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
mind is a product of the brain
soul is not involved in human behavior
Empiricism:
knowledge and intellect are acquired
sensory experiences produce elementary ideas
elementary ideas become associated into complex
thought and ideas
Philosophical Developments
Another
Nativism
Question: Empiricism vs.
Nativism is the view that elementary ideas
are innate
If knowledge is innate
What is the purpose of education?
Can intellect be changed by experience?
Are abilities determined by our genes or our
experiences?
This is known as Nature vs. Nurture
appears throughout modern psychology
Foundations of Modern
Psychology
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Theory of natural selection (1859)
physical characteristics evolve through natural
selection
behavioral patterns also influence selection
inborn knowledge and behavioral tendencies
with survival value are passed on
Human beings are part of nature and
can be understood through the
methods of science
Foundations of Modern
Psychology
Darwin’s theory encouraged scientific
inquiry
19th century developments in physiology
demonstrated the approach to use
based on scientific methods, controlled laboratory
experiments
influential beliefs from early physiology
reflexology - all human behaviors occur through reflexes
localization of function - specific structures of the brain serve
specific functions in the control of mental experiences and
behavior
Other Pioneers
Alfred Binet (1857-1911)
French intelligence researcher
developed first intelligence test
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
Russian physiologist
discovered conditioned reflexes
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
American psychologist at Harvard
studied learning and effect of reinforcement
behaviorism
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychology’s Big Issues
 Nature-nurture controversy
 the relative contribution that
genes and experience make to
development of psychological
traits and behaviors
Contemporary
Psychology
 Natural selection
 principle that those
inherited trait
variations
contributing to
survival will most
likely be passed on
to succeeding
generations
Andrea Yates
Cognitive Perspective
Private mental functioning?
Biological Basis
Brain chemistry
depression
Social-Cultural
Family affair?
Extended family
Many factors
shaping human
behavior
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychology’s Perspectives
 A lot depends on your point of view
Contemporary
Psychology
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychology’s Subfields
 Basic Research
 biological psychologists explore the
links between brain and mind
 developmental psychologists study
changing abilities from womb to tomb
 cognitive psychologists study how we
perceive, think, and solve problems
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychology’s Subfields
 Basic Research
 Personality psychologists investigate
our persistent traits
 Social psychologists explore how we
view and affect one another
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychology’s Subfields
 Applied Research
 Industrial/organizational psychologists
study and advise on behavior in the
workplace
 Clinical psychologists study, assess,
and treat people with psychological
disorders
Contemporary
Psychology
 Psychiatry
 A branch of medicine dealing with
psychological disorders
 Practiced by physicians who sometimes
use medical (for example, drug)
treatments as well as psychotherapy