PsychologyPhilosophical and Historical Roots

Definition

OPsychology is the study of behavior and mental processes

OPsyche = soul + Logos = the study of

When Did the Study of Psychology Begin?

O Relatively new; 1870s O Humans have been asking questions that

relate to the study of psychology since the beginning of civilizationO 6000-5000 BC: Assyrians described their

dreams O 500 BC: Confucius discussed the power of an

educated mind O 500 BC: Buddha asked how sensation and

perceptions combine to make ideas

Philosophy and Physical Sciences

O Psychology has its roots in philosophy and the physical sciences

O Philosophy and psychology are both interested inO The nature of the selfO Effects of early experienceO Free willO Origin of Knowledge O How biological and environmental factors

result in behaviorO Physical science – interested in knowledge of

the brain and nervous system

Philosophical Roots O What was the relationship between the body

and mind?O Dualists – body and mind are different and

separateO Monists – mind and body are not separate

O Was knowledge inborn or a result of experience?

Ancient Greek Philosophers

O Socrates O Mind is separate from the body and continues

on after death O Plato’s Three Part Mind

O Reason, Spirit, and Appetite must be in balanceO Similar to a team of horses (spirit and appetite)

guiding a driver (reason)O Believed in monism

O Aristotle O Believed all knowledge is gained through

sensory experience (not preexisting)O Importance of careful observation

René Descartes (1595-1650)

O Dualist O Believed the brain had

cavities containing “animal spirits” that flowed through hollow nerves to the muscles to cause movement

O Also thought memories formed pores in the brain into which the animal spirits flowed

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

O Observed that the human mind tends to perceive patterns in random events

O Also noticed that humans tend to notice and remember events that confirm their beliefs

John Locke (1632-1704)

O The mind was a blank slate (tabula rasa) that was filled with ideas gained through experience

O One of the founders of modern empiricism: knowledge is a result of experience and science should rely on experimentation and observation as a result

Physical Sciences O 7,000 years ago healers drilled holes into a

person’s skull to relieve them of conditions like headaches or hallucinations O Understanding that the brain was important

for mental lifeO Egyptians understood that paralysis was due

to brain damage that was permanent O 500 BC Greek physicians dissected bodies

and saw the connection between the sense organs and the brain; Also noticed the brain’s connection to emotional problems

Greek Theory of Personality

O Personality was a result of the amounts of four different body fluids: yellow bile, black bile, blood, and phlegmO Treatment resulted in “bleeding” to

change the amount of the body fluids

17th and 18th Century Developments

O New technology (like the microscope) resulted in new discoveries about the body and mind

O Phrenology (1796): Measuring of the brain O Size of certain areas of the skull (and thus,

brain) meant something

The Birth of PsychologyWilhelm Wundt

O Conducted the first recorded psychological experiment at the University of Leipzig in 1879 (Germany)

O Studied reaction timesO How quickly after

hearing a ball drop could a person strike a telegraph key?

Edward Titchener O Student of Wundt

O Wanted to find the structural elements of the mind O Established the theory of structuralism

O Mind could be broken down into the smallest elements of experience

O Asked participants to use introspection (self-reflection) by training them to report elements of their experience as they experienced different sensations O Looking at a rose O Listening to a metronomeO Smelling somethingO Tasting something

O Introspection proved to be unreliable;Fell out of favor in the world of psychology

FunctionalismO School of thought proposed by William JamesO Influenced by Charles Darwin and natural

selectionO Functionalism

O Behavior was purposeful because it led to survivalO How do our mental and behavioral processes

function? O How do they enable us to adapt, survive, and

flourish?O Offered a psychology course at Harvard O Wrote the first psychology textbook – Principles

of Psychology (1890)O Today’s study of psychology is based in

functionalism

Gestalt Psychology O Founded by a group of German psychologists

who rejected structuralism (early 20th century)O Gestalt = form or wholeO Thought that breaking perception into its

building blocks resulted in the loss of psychological information

O Also interested in learning, memory, motivation, group dynamics, and perception

O Today it is no longer a distinct school of thought

Psychoanalysis O Sigmund Freud - Austrian physicianO Views dominated psychology for the first half of

the 20th century O Believed that actions were a result of

unconscious drives and conflicts O Humans are not always aware of the roots of their

behaviorO Came up with theories regarding: human

sexuality, dream analysis, roots of abnormal behavior, personality, treatment of disorders

O Did not use experimentation; Relied on introspection; Studied unhealthy people

O Modern day version of psychoanalysis = psychodynamic perspective

Behaviorism O From the early 1900s until the 1960s, behaviorism

became another dominant force in psychology O Behaviorism – study and careful measurement of

observable behaviorO Pioneers:

O Ivan Pavlov: Salivating dogs and classical conditioningO Learning by association

O John B. Watson: Believed all phenomena was the result of conditioning; Strong supporter of the blank slate theory

O B.F. Skinner: Behavior is related to rewards and punishment

O Still a dominant perspective in psychology today

Cognitive PsychologyO Challenged the two major forces in psychology in

the mid-20th century (psychoanalysis and behaviorism)

O Studied the information that behaviorists avoided – internal mental processes O Thinking, feeling, learning, remembering, states of

consciousness O One reason for the shift were new research methodsO Believed internal processes could and should be

studied O We can make inferences about the cognitive

processes that underlie behaviorO Still a major force in psychology today

Contemporary PsychO Psychologists approach the study from

different approaches/perspectives/schools of thought

O Most psychologists do not strictly adhere to one perspective or anotherO Acknowledge the importance of multiple

perspectives in examining behavior and mental processes

O Perspectives are helpful for examining psychological phenomena from one particular angle

Historical Schools of Thought Still Adhered ToO BehaviorismO Cognitive PsychologyO Psychodynamic Theory

O Expanded and revised version of Freud’s ideas

Humanistic Psychology O Approach that sees humans as inherently

good and motivated to learn and improve O Emphasize human potential, love,

belonging, self-esteem, and self-expressionO Importance of self-actualization

O Fulfilling of one’s potentialO Focus on mental well being, rather than on

mental illness O Abraham MaslowO Forerunner of positive psychology

O Focuses on positive experiences, self-determination, relationship between positive emotions and physical health, and the factors that allow humans and societies to flourish

Abraham Maslow

Social-Cultural Psychology

O Describes the effects of social environment and culture on the behavior of others

O How would memory be affected by the presence of others?

O How would the tendency to help be affected by one’s culture?

Biological PsychologyO Also referred to as behavioral

neuroscience O Focuses on the relationships

between the mind and behavior and their underlying biological processes O Genetics, anatomy, biochemistry,

physiologyO How is memory affected by brain

chemicals or hormones?

Evolutionary Psychology

O Concerned with the evolutionary origins of behaviors and mental processes, their adaptive value, and the purposes they continue to serve

O Food aversion