History of Psychology
Modern Psychology’s
Roots
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
• Separated from philosophy in 19th century
– influences from physiology remain
Philosophical Developments
•A
Question: How are mind and
body related?
• René Descartes (1596–1650)—Interactive
dualism
• The mind and body are separate but interact
to produce conscious experience of
sensations & emotions
Philosophical Developments
• Another
Question: Nature vs. Nurture
• Are abilities determined by our genes or our
experiences?
• What are the interactions between genetics and
environment?
• What effect does it have on behavior?
Physiology Influence
• Study of functions & parts of humans
• By 1600’s began to focus on brain
• Began to develop explanations for the
functioning of the senses.
• Becomes foundation for psychology as a
science
Wilhelm Wundt
–Leipzig, Germany
–The “father of psychology”
–Founder of modern psychology
–Opened the first psychology lab in
1879
–applied laboratory techniques to
study of the mind/consciousness
Wilhelm Wundt
(1832–1920)
E.B. Titchener
•Wundt’s student,
professor at Cornell
University
•Analyzed the intensity,
clarity and quality of the
parts of consciousness
•Founder of structuralism
E. B. Titchener
(1867–1927)
Structuralism
• Studied the basic elements (structures) of
thoughts and sensations (consciousness).
• focused on basic sensory and perceptual
processes
• Introspection – subject would view an object
and try to reconstruct their sensations &
feelings they felt while viewing it.
• Not scientific – too subjective, not repeatable, not
able to be used for studying all topics (learning,
development, mental disorders).
William James
•First American psychologist
•Started psychology at Harvard
in 1870s
•Opposed Wundt and
Titchener’s approach
•Author of the first psychology
textbook (1,400 pages!)
•Founder of Functionalism
–functionalism – influenced by Darwin
to focus on how behaviors help us
adapt to the environment
William James
(1842–1910)
Functionalism
• Emphasized studying the function of
consciousness and how consciousness
helped people adapt to their
environment
– Used naturalistic observation
– Viewed consciousness as a stream of
constantly changing states .
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.
William James’ Students
• G. Stanley Hall – first Ph.D. in psych, started first
U.S. psych lab, started the American
Psychological Association.
• Mary Whiton Calkins – first woman to complete
Ph.D. program but Harvard didn’t give her a
degree! Became first woman president of the
APA.
• Margaret Floy Washburn – first official Ph.D. in
psychology. Studied different animal species. 2nd
female president of APA.
Sigmund Freud
(1856-1939)
• Austrian physician that focused on
illness
• Founder of the psychoanalytic
perspective
• Believed that abnormal behavior
originated from unconscious drives
and conflicts that were aggressive
and sexual in nature.
Freud’s Influence
• Influence on “pop culture”
– Freudian slips
– Anal-retentive
• Influence on psychology
– Psychodynamic theory
– Unconscious thoughts
– Significance of childhood experiences
John B. Watson
•Founder of Behaviorism
•Studied only observable
and objectively described
acts
•Emphasized objective
and scientific
methodology
•Performed the Little
Albert Classical
Conditioning Study
John B. Watson
(1878–1958)
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)
• Behaviorist
• Russian Physiologist
• Studied learning through
associations (classical
conditioning) in dogs
• Emphasized the study of
observable behaviors
B.F. Skinner
•Behaviorist
•American psychologist at
Harvard
•Focused on learning
through rewards and
observation
•studied learning and
effect of reinforcement &
punishment (Operant
Conditioning)
B. F. Skinner
(1904–1990)
Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow
(1902-1987)
(1908-1970)
• Helped to create Humanistic Psychology
• Stressed the study of conscious experience and an
individual’s free will to reach their potential
• Healthy individuals strive to reach their potential.
Wolfgang Kohler
• Created Gestalt
Psychology
• The whole is different
from the sum of its parts.
• Integrate pieces of
information into
meaningful wholes.
Wolfgang Kohler
(1865-1965)
What do you see?
You See the whole picture first rather than the individual dots
that make it up. – Gestalt Psychology
Scene from Ferris Bueller (start at 1:05)