PSYC 319 -- HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY Instructor: SPRING 2006 Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Office: Psychology Bldg. 286 (845-2540) Lab: Psychology Bldg. 284 (845-2540) Home: 693-0066 (Please do not call after 10:00 p.m.) Office Hrs.: Tue & Thur 8:30 - 9:30; Tue 2:15 - 3:15 Other times by appointment. E-mail: LTB@psyc.tamu.edu Website: http://people.tamu.edu/~l-benjamin Required Text: Benjamin, L. T. Jr. (2006). A History of Psychology in Letters (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell. (paperback edition) Readings Packet is available from Copy Corner (1404 Texas Ave. S.). Online readings, as indicated on the Course Outline, are available on the Internet. Classics readings will be found at: http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/ Course Goals: In the 21st century, psychology continues to be listed as one of the best careers for future employment, the psychology major is typically among the two or three most popular majors on college campuses, and psychology is often the most popular elective course in high schools today. Furthermore, the public displays a seemingly endless fascination with human behavior as evidenced in everything from movies to plays, from magazines to books, from radio talk shows to country music lyrics, and especially in television as the principal subject of talk shows, public humiliation shows (such as Jerry Springer), soap operas, so-called investigative journalism shows (e.g., Dateline, Hard Copy), dramas, comedy shows, and the “reality” television shows such as survivor formats and game shows such as “Weakest Link.” In short, psychology is everywhere. Granted the psychology of the public may not be the psychology of the professional psychologist, a conflict that often causes embarrassment for psychologists. But no one can deny that people are interested in the field. That is, whereas you might have to do some hard selling to get people interested in physical chemistry or French neoclassicist literature, one doesn’t have to sell psychology. This course traces the development of modern American psychology from its 19th century philosophical and scientific roots in Germany as well as its roots in American popular culture. We will begin with a look at the pre-scientific practitioners of psychology in America in the 19th century – the phrenologists, physiognomists, mesmerists, spiritualists, and others – and look at how these individuals practiced their psychological trades. We will then move to 19th-century Europe to understand the philosophical and physiological viewpoints that led to the birth of scientific psychology. Emphasis will be placed on the early "schools" of psychology as theoretical systems influencing the development of the field, schools such as structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis. Finally we will look at the post World War II developments, principally the importance of cognitive psychology and the explosive growth of the practice specialties in psychology such as clinical, counseling, school, and industrial/ organizational psychology. page 2 The broad goal of this course is to provide a comprehensive history of American psychology that will aid your understanding of both psychology and American society. An important lesson to keep in mind is that psychology has been shaped by the historical influences in which it developed and most of those forces lie outside of psychology. It is also true that ideas developed within psychology have had considerable impact on the development of American history. This interaction is an ever-present theme in understanding the material of this course. Another goal of this course is that you learn something about historiography, that is the theory and methods that underlie the research and writing of history. In short, you will learn something about the way historians do their jobs. This course will help you integrate the information from other psychology courses that you have taken or may yet take. It will allow you to interpret the present in light of the past. It will provide you with an understanding of psychology that cannot be obtained without a historical perspective. It should teach you something about the dangers of certainty, about having humility for your own views and a greater tolerance for the views of others. Finally, it should be an enjoyable and significant learning experience. Assignments and Evaluation Policies Autobiographical Paper: This is an ungraded assignment, one that allows me to learn something about who you are. That is not always easy in a class of this size. The autobiographical paper should be 1-2 pages in length. It should include a little information about where you were born, where you grew up, about your family, high school activities and other hobbies, why you came to Texas A&M, your major, why you are taking this course and what you hope to get out of it, jobs you have had or have, what you plan to do when you finish your degree, anything else you would like to include, any questions you have of the instructor. You don’t have to cover all of that information; those are provided as suggestions of things you might write about. Furthermore, this exercise is not meant to be prying on my part; please do not feel you need to tell me information that you don’t want me to know. The paper is due on the second class day, January 19. In your autobiography, please include your email address and local phone number. Submit this in class as a hard copy; do not send it to me as an email. Reading: You are expected to read all of the material as indicated on the course outline prior to the class for which it is assigned. In addition, extra reading materials may be assigned from time to time. Classes will typically cover material not in your reading but for which the readings provide the background. Exams: There will be three exams during the course, including a final exam. The final exam is not comprehensive; it will cover reading and lecture material since the second exam. Each of the exams will count 100 points, and collectively they will determine 100% of your course grade. Content of the exams will stress reading and lecture material in the form of multiple-choice questions. You will need to bring a MARS Scantron and No. 2 pencil for each exam. Make-up exams will not be given except in those cases where the student can show proof of a university recognized excused absence as specified in the Texas A&M University Regulations, 2005-2006. Make-up exams will cover the same material but will be in a short answer/essay question format. page 3 Occasionally an exam may be taken early if arrangements are made with the instructor's approval. Exam dates are shown on the course outline. Total points possible for the course = 300. Listed below are the required scores for each letter designation in the grading system. A = 270 points C = 210 points B = 240 points D = 180 points F = below 180 points Attendance Policy: Attendance will not be taken in this class and no penalty will be assessed for absences. Attendance is the sole responsibility of the student. Examinations will consist of lecture material not covered in any of the assigned readings, thus students will be held responsible for the content of the lectures. Students with Disabilities: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Koldus Building, or call 845-1637. COURSE OUTLINE Jan. 17 Orientation to the Course Jan. 19 Historiography (NOTE: Autobiography due) Benjamin: Chapter 1 – Reading Other People’s Mail: The Joys of Historical Research (13) Course Packet: Application, Popularization, and Public Understanding: A Research Program in the History of American Psychology (2) Course Packet: Inez Beverly Prosser and the Education of African Americans (16) Jan. 24 First Century of American Psychology Course Packet: Psychology” entry in Oxford Companion to US History (4) Course Packet: The First Century of Psychological Science and Practice in America” (8) page 4 Jan. 26 Psychology, Sex, and the Mushroom Cloud Jan. 31 First Century of American Psychology (continued) Feb. 2 Philosophical and Physiological Antecedents Course Packet: Philosophical Roots of Psychology: Mechanism and Empiricism (4) Benjamin: Chapter 2 - John Locke as Child Psychologist (12) Course Packet: The Physiological Roots of Psychology (4) Classics: English translation of Paul Broca’s “Remarks on the Seat of the Faculty of Articulated Language, following an Observation of Aphemia (loss of speech)” pp. 343-357 (15). It begins “II. On 11 April 1861 …” Feb. 7 Wundtian Psychology Classics: Wilhelm Wundt’s “Outlines of Psychology” Sections 5 and 8 (7) Classics: James McK. Cattell’s “The Psychological Laboratory at Leipsic” pp. 37-45 (9) Course Packet: The Founding of Scientific Psychology: Gustav Fechner and Wilhelm Wundt (6) Benjamin: Chapter 5 -- An American in Leipzig (13) Feb. 9 Wundt’s American Students Course Packet: Wundt’s American Doctoral Students (9) Course Packet: Germany and the New Psychology (24) Benjamin: Chapter 6 – The Struggle for Psychology Laboratories (12) Feb. 14 Ebbinghaus and the Study of Memory Classics: Hermann Ebbinghaus’ “Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology” Chapters 1 and 3 (18) Feb. 16 The Psychology Laboratory in America Course Packet: The Psychology Laboratory at the Turn of the Century (4) Benjamin: Chapter 7 – William James and Psychical Research (14) Benjamin: Chapter 9 - A Woman’s Quest for Graduate Education (12) Classics: James Mark Baldwin’s “The Psychological Laboratory in the University of Toronto” (2) page 5 Feb. 21 Titchener’s Structural Psychology Course Packet: E. B. Titchener and Structuralism (3) Classics: Edward B. Titchener’s “The Postulates of a Structural Psychology” (17) Benjamin: Chapter 10 - Titchener’s Experimentalists: No Women Allowed (14) Feb. 23 EXAM I Feb. 28 The Influence of Charles Darwin Course Packet: Darwinian Influences: Adaptation and Individual Differences (4) Darwin Site: From Darwin’s Origin of Species: Ch. 3 “Struggle for Existence” (14) http://pages.britishlibrary.net/charles.darwin/texts/origin1859/origin03.html Benjamin: Chapter 3 - On the Origin of Species: Darwin’s Crisis of 1858 (14) Mar. 2 Galton and the Birth of Mental Testing Classics: Look under Galton in the author index. Read R. H. Wozniak’s “Introduction to Galton’s Hereditary Genius” (4) Classics: James McK. Cattell’s “Mental Tests and Measurements” (9) Classics: Lewis Terman’s “The Uses of Intelligence Tests” (19) Classics: Henry Herbert Goddard’s “The Kallikak Family” – Read the Preface and Chapter 3 (25) Mar. 7 Functional Psychology Course Packet: American Antecedents to Functionalism (5) Course Packet: Functionalism (3) Classics: William James’s Principles of Psychology. Read Section 5 of Chapter IX “Stream of Thought”, pages 284-290 (7) Classics: James Rowland Angell’s “The Province of Functional Psychology” (31) Benjamin: Chapter 8 – Hugo Münsterberg & the Psychology of Law (18) Mar. 9 The Child Study Movement Course Packet: Scientific Pedagogy (27) Course Packet: The Santa Claus Survey: A Pioneering Nebraska Study in Child Psychology (7) page 6 Mar. 21 The Psychology of Sex Differences Benjamin: Chapter 4 – John Stuart Mill and the Subjection of Women (14) Classics: Helen Thompson [Woolley’s] “The Mental Traits of Sex” – Read Chapters 1 & 9 (21) Classics: Leta Hollingworth’s “Variability as Related to Sex Differences in Achievement: A Critique” (21) Course Packet: Leta Stetter Hollingworth (11) Mar. 23 Animal Psychology Course Packet: Animal Experimental Psychology (3) Classics: R. M. Yerkes & S. Morgulis’s “The Method of Pawlow in Animal Psychology” (17) Course Packet: From Bottle-fed Chimp to Bottlenose Dolphin: A Contemporary Appraisal of Winthrop Kellogg (22) Mar. 28 EXAM II Mar. 30 Behaviorism Benjamin: Chapter 12 - The Behaviorism of John B. Watson (16) Classics: John Watson’s “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It” (20) Classics: John Watson & Rosalie Rayner’s “Conditioned Emotional Reactions” (14) HTP Prints: Benjamin Harris’ “Whatever Happened to Little Albert?” (10) http://htpprints.yorku.ca/archive/00000198/ Apr. 4 Neobehaviorism Course Packet: Neobehaviorism (5) Classics: B. F. Skinner’s: “Superstition in the Pigeon” (5) Classics: Edward C. Tolman’s “Cognitive Maps in Rats and Men” (20) Benjamin: Chapter 15 – B. F. Skinner’s Heir Conditioner (16) Apr. 6 A History of Popular Psychology Course Packet: A History of Popular Psychology Magazines in America (9) Journal Article: Coon, D. J. (1992). Testing the limits of sense and science: American experimental psychologists combat spiritualism, 1880-1920. American Psychologist, 47, 143-151. Copy this article from the library or get as an e-doc. page 7 Apr. 11 Psychoanalysis Course Packet: Psychoanalysis (4) Classics: Sigmund Freud’s “The Interpretation of Dreams.” Read Chapter 3: “The Dream is a Fulfillment of a Wish” (10) Benjamin: Chapter 11 – Coming to America: Freud and Jung (14) Classics: Sigmund Freud’s “The Origin and Development of Psychoanalysis.” Read ONLY the First Lecture (9) Apr. 13 Gestalt Psychology Course packet: Gestalt Psychology (4) Classics: Max Wertheimer’s “Laws of organization in perceptual forms” (18) Benjamin: Chapter 13 – Nazi Germany and the Migration of Gestalt Psychology (14) Apr. 18 Industrial/Organizational Psychology Classics: Hugo Münsterberg’s “Psychology and Industrial Efficiency’ pp. 3-10 (8) Course Packet: Hugo Münsterberg: Portrait of an Applied Psychologist (17) Course Packet: Coca-Cola, Caffeine, and Mental Deficiency: Harry Hollingworth and the Chattanooga Trial of 1911 (14) Apr. 20 Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology Course Packet: Psychology as a Profession (13) Classics: Lightner Witmer’s “Clinical Psychology” (9) Classics: Mary Cover Jones’s “A Laboratory Study of Fear: The Case of Peter” (8) Course Packet: The Affirmation of the Scientist-Practitioner: A Look Back at Boulder (7) Apr. 25 Psychology’s Social Agenda: A Matter of Race Benjamin: Chapter 14: A Social Agenda for American Psychology (14) Benjamin: Chapter 16 – Kenneth B. Clark and the Brown v. Board Decision (17) Classics: Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s “The Development of Consciousness of Self and the Emergence of Racial Identification in Negro Preschool Children” (9) page 8 HTP Prints: John Jackson’s “The Triumph of the Segregationists: A Historiographical Inquiry into Psychology and the Brown Litigation” (22) http://htpprints.yorku.ca/archive/00000139/ Apr. 27 A History of Psychology’s Future Course Packet: Behavioral Science and the Nobel Prize: A History (11) Course Packet: The Psychological Profession in the 21st Century (37) May 5 EXAM III (Friday) 12:30 to 2:30