Approaches to Psychology
Historical Approaches
Charles Darwin
• Inspired scientists to study animals and
then relate information gathered to
humans.
William Wundt
“Father of Psychology”
• 1st lab that studied humans
• Acknowledged as establishing modern
psychology as a separate formal field of study
• Important because he used a systematic
•
procedure to study human behavior (scientific
method)
Introspection- looking inward to examine
process of the mind
Introspection
• Common way that early psychologists
gathered data.
• Goal was to discover relationship between
between external stimulation and mental
processes.
Introspection Experiment
Disadvantage to Introspection is that it is
very subjective.
Functionalism
• William James (1842-1910)
• Father of Psychology in the US
• Rather than focusing on structures of the mind,
•
•
James focused on the functions or actions of the
conscious mind and the goals or purpose of
behavior
Embraced Darwin’s ideas- believed in the ability
of the mind to evolve.
Functionalists focus on how animals and people
adapt to their environments
Psychoanalysis -1st force of
Psychology
• Study of the Unconscious
- Human personality and behavior
influenced by the unconscious.
Psychoanalytic
• Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
• interested in unconscious mind
• Beneath surface are primitive biological urges
that are in conflict with the requirements of
society and modesty
• These unconscious motivations and conflicts
are responsible for most human behavior
• Humans are unaware of true motives behind
behavior
Freud
- Smoked cigars incessantly.
Hysterical Conversion: Nervous conditions
and physical problems with no apparent
causes that are believed to originate in the
mind.
Behaviorism – 2nd force of Psychology
• Study of observable behavior (overt)
behavior rather than “mental
consciousness”.
• Stimulus: Event in the environment
that produces a response.
• Response: Reaction that can be
observed and measured.
• The field of psychology became more
disciplined because of Behaviorism
• John Watson is known as the father of
modern behaviorism
• Other key people include Pavlov and B.F.
Skinner
• Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
• Pavlov dogs: Pavlov rang a tuning fork each
time he gave dog meat. The dog would
normally drool when he got the meat. After
Pavlov repeated the procedure many times, the
dogs would drool when it heard the ring of the
tuning fork, even if no food appeared. It had
been conditioned to associate the sound with
the food.
• This is known as conditioning or the conditional
reflex
• Could account for behaviors as the product of
prior experiences
• This enabled psychologists to explain how
certain acts and differences among individuals
were the result of learning
Behaviorists
John Watson (1878-1958)
• Concern with only observable behaviors
• All behavior is result of conditioning and
occurs because the appropriate stimulus is
present in the environment.
• He believed that he could take infants and
through training he could mold them into
anything he wanted.
Behavior- Reinforcement
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
• Introduced concept of reinforcement
• Response to a behavior that increases
likelihood that the behavior will be
repeated (rewards) or terminated
(punishments)
Gestalt
• Group of German psychologists who
focused on the whole person (in
German, Gestalt)
• See the whole rather than the parts
• Example, see a chair rather than a seat,
legs back etc
• Opposite end of pendulum than
behaviorism and structuralism
Humanistic Psychology
3rd Force of
Psychology
• Developed as a reaction to behavioral
psychology
• 1960’s
• Humans not controlled by environment or
unconscious forces
• Aspirations and goals make humans
different from animals.
• ***Each person is unique and has a self
concept and potential to develop fully
Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitivists focus on how we process, store,
retrieve and use information
• Influences our thinking, language, problem
solving and creativity
• Behavior is influenced by a variety of mental
processes including perceptions, memories and
expectations.
• Humans are active seekers of knowledge
PsychoBiological
• Impact of biology on behavior
• Pyschiobiologists study how physical and
chemical changes in our bodies influence our
behavior
• How the brain, hormones impact our behavior
• Genetics influences a wide range of human
behavior
• Recent discoveries between chemicals in brain
(neurotransmitters) and human behavior
• EX – autistic children share a genetic defect in
regulation neurotransmitter Serontin –
serontin plays a role in brain function
Roger Sperry
Awarded Nobel Prize for brain research
Key Issues in Psychology Today
• Nature versus Nurture
Heredity versus
Environment
• Continuity and Change- memory
• Context- behavior/actions depend on particular
situations in which they occur.
• Social Psychologists study how behavior can be
influenced by context and people.
• Culture
• Ethnicity
• Race