History of Psychology
Mrs. Cavell
How do you feel today?
A. Happy…I love
school!!
B. Ehh…no opinion!
C. Sad I am sleepy!
Which of the following shows do
you watch or find interesting?
A. Hoarders
B. My Strange
Addiction
C. Intervention
D. Never watch these
types of shows
63%
29%
8%
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What is Psychology?
The science of behavior and mental processes
Behavior—observable actions of a person or animal
Mind—thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, memories, dreams,
motives and other subjective experiences
Science--an objective way to answer questions based on observable
facts/data and well-described methods
• Four Goals of Psychology:
 Describe: What is the person doing?
 Explain the cause(s) of the behavior. (Genetic, Biological,
Environmental)
 Predict: When/How will a person behave in certain
situations?
 Control: Can a psychologist help control undesirable
behaviors.
Turn, Talk and WRITE!
• Turning to a close neighbor, flip over this
outline and think about a person you know
that has a “abnormal” behavior in your
opinion and fill in the goals of Psychology
using this behavior.
• FOR EXAMPLE…
Mrs. Cavell’s Example
• Describe: Student A repeatedly enters class and
licks his desk.
• Explain: Student A may have OCD and feels
compelled to lick his desk or perhaps it is the
constant harassment from Student B also in my
class
• Predict: It happens everyday during Channel One
• Control: When Student A feels overwhelmed by
licking his desk, he will use a substitute (lick a
sucker) or he will repeat a calming phrase until the
thoughts go away.
What are the criteria for
determining abnormality?
• 1. Atypical: Different
from the perceived norm
• 2. Disturbing: Behavior
would be unacceptable to
most of the culture
• 3.Maladaptive: Behaviors
that increase the risk of
injury to the person
• 4. Unjustifiable: No
logical explanation for the
behavior
Let’s Practice!
• We know the goals of Psychology and the criteria
for determining abnormality…so let’s put our
knowledge to work.
• OCD: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Persistent
irrational thoughts or impulses that causes the
person to engage in senseless rituals or behaviors
• We are going to watch a portion of the show
HOARDERS. Fill out the form provided to
practice being a psychologist!
Historical Foundations
Wilhelm Wundt
Wilhelm Wundt
–The “Father of Psychology”
–Founder of modern psychology
–Opened the first psychology lab in
1879
–applied laboratory techniques to
study of the mind
Wilhelm Wundt
(1832–1920)
Structuralism
• Structuralism: Studied the basic elements
(structure) of thoughts and sensations.
• focused on how our 5 senses allowed humans
to navigate their environment
• measured reaction times
• INTROSPECTION: Presenting a stimulus to a
particular sense and having subjects report
their conscious mental experiences.
William James
•First American psychologist
•Influenced by Charles Darwin
•Author of the first psychology
textbook (Principle’s of Psychology)
•Founder of Functionalism
–Functionalism – focused on how
behaviors help us adapt to the
environment/how our brain adapts to
new situations
William James
(1842–1910)
DAILY
DOUBLE
Explain the difference between
Structuralism & Functionalism.
Structuralism – basic parts of a
person’s thoughts and feelings.
Focus on basic senses &
perception.
Functionalism – how our
consciousness helps us to function
or adapt to our environment.
John B. Watson
•Founder of Behaviorism
• Behaviorism: Studying only
observable and objectively
described acts (Little Albert)
•Emphasized objective and
scientific methodology
•The goal of his research was
to make psychology a
scientific pursuit and conduct
experiments that could be
REPLICATED
John B. Watson
(1878–1958)
Little Albert Experiment
• In 1920, Professor John Watson decided he would
attempt an experiment that would condition a 1
year old baby to fear something that previously
evoked no fear response.
• “Albert” was an orphan and Watson received
permission to take from the orphanage and use
him in his experiment.
• Let’s see what happens! 
Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939)
• Austrian physician that focused on
mental illness
• Theorized that the first 5 years of
life were critical to personality
development.
• Psychoanalysis: Belief that
abnormal behavior originated from
unconscious (unaware) drives and
conflicts
Freud’s Influence
– Freudian slips (Nothing is an accident)
When you say something that you didn’t
mean to say
– Example: “The Mole” from Austin Powers
– Let’s Watch!!