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Psychology – Ms. Sakshi Bhatia
UNIT 1: “Evolution of Psychology” History, Approaches,
Subfields
Psychology hopes to predict & control human behavior.
But, it does so within different approaches.
There is not a single agreed upon method.
I. History & Approaches (2–4%)
Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a
discipline in 1879. There have been significant changes in the
theories that psychologists use to explain behavior & mental
processes.
In addition, the methodology of psychological research has
expanded to include a diversity of approaches to data
gathering.
IB students in psychology should be able to do the following:
★ Recognize how philosophical & physiological perspectives
shaped the development of psychological thought.
★ Describe & compare different theoretical approaches in
explaining behavior:
○ structuralism, functionalism, & behaviorism in the early years;
○ Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, & humanism emerging later;
○ evolutionary, biological, cognitive, & biopsychosocial as more contemporary
approaches.
★ Recognize strengths & limitations of applying theories to
explain behavior.
★ Distinguish the different domains of psychology
○ (e.g., biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational,
experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality,
psychometric, social).
★ Identify major historical figures in psychology
○ (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins, Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G.
Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F.
Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn, John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt).
What is
Psychology?
Psychology in the Past. Approaches to
Psych today.
"Psychology has a short
history
& a long past."
Pre-Scientific Psychology
How are ideas formed?
Some Ideas are Inborn:
Socrates & Plato
The Mind is a Blank Slate:
Aristotle & Locke
Philosophy: Foundation for Psychology
Descartes: natural instincts in physical world.
However, believed humans were different &
they have a mind to guide body.
Hobbes: no mind/soul & that only energy &
matter exists & that everything is shaped by
brain machinery.
YouTube: Psych 101 -- Modern Roots of Psychology
First Wave: Introspection - “Kickin it old school”
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920)
“The Father of Psychology” & “Birth of Psychology”
German professor, mounted campaign to make
psychology an independent discipline
(rather than a portion of philosophy + physiology)
1879: Wundt established 1st formal
laboratory for research in psychology at U.
of Leipzig
William Wundt’s concept: introspection
became...
Structuralism: Identify the parts that make
up consciousness & the mind
★ Declared psychology should be a “science”
★ Used empirical methods
★ Focus for Wundt: consciousness
(awareness of immediate experience)
★ Wundt: Tremendous following- N. America
Wave Two: Functionalism - “Kickin it old
school”
William James (1842-1910)
“1st American Psychologist”
Wrote: “The Principles of Psychology” &
Focused on Functionalism
Criticized Wundt’s ideas for being too narrow.
Influenced by Darwin, interested in
understanding how consciousness
(like thoughts & feelings) functioned to
help people adapt to their environments.
Structuralism vs. Functionalism
Structuralism – task of psychology is to
analyze consciousness into its basic
elements & how they relate.
(Titchener continued Wundt's Work)
Dependent on introspection – careful, systematic
self-observation of one’s own conscious experience.
Favored lab experiments
Functionalism – Psychology should
investigate the function or purpose of
consciousness, rather than its structure.
(James)
Influenced by Charles Darwin’s natural selection –
heritable characteristics that provide a survival or
reproductive advantage are more likely than alternative
characteristics to be passed on to subsequent
generations and thus come to be “selected” over time.
Favored how people adapt to real world situations
Generally thought that functionalism won out and then
spawned the more modern:
Applied Psychology & Behaviorism
Edward Titchener
William James
YouTube: Psych 101 - Wundt & James - Structuralism & Functionalism
Psych as a Science: Gestalt
Psychology
“The whole is greater/different than the
sum of its parts.”
Max Wertheimer revolted against Wundt.
(1923) Believed consciousness was best
understood by observing the whole
experience, rather than breaking it down into
a cluster of component elements.
Psych as a Science:
Modern Era - Psychoanalysis
1st to focus on abnormal behaviors
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Psychoanalysis
★ Believed all behavior & mental processes
are directed by unconscious forces: which
we are not fully aware.
★ Problems arise from unresolved conflict in
the unconscious mind.
Used Free Association & Dream
Analysis to explore the unconscious.
Freud’s ideas were (and still are)
controversial, yet have had a great
influence on the field of psychology &
popular interest.
We will see much more of this in when we study
Personality soon.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Psychoanalysis
Austrian physician & one of the most controversial intellectual figures of
modern times.
Developed psychoanalysis as an approach to delve into the
mind of those with irrational fears, obsessions, and anxieties.
Freud: The unconscious contains thoughts, memories, &
desires that are well below the surface of conscious
awareness but that nonetheless exert great influence on
behavior.
Freud noted that seemingly meaningless slips of the tongue would provide
insight into someone’s true feelings.
Psychoanalytic theory attempts to explain personality,
motivation, and mental disorders by focusing on unconscious
determinants of behavior.
Very controversial for his observations on the importance of sexuality towards
human behavior
Freud focused on personality, motivation, and abnormal behavior and those
concepts were later incorporated into mainstream psychology.
YouTube: Schallhorn Perspectives Review
Psych as a Science: Modern Era Behaviorism
John B. Watson (1878-1958) takes the focus on
behaviors to another level.
Scientific psychology should study only
observable behavior.
Proposed abandoning the study of
consciousness altogether
Focus on Observed behaviors: any
overt/observable response or activity by an
organism
Watson also shined a light on nature versus nurture
Behaviorists look for stimulus – any
detectable input from the environment.
Behavior approach is often referred to as (SR) Stimulus-Response
Psych as a Science: Modern Era Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) - Championed a return
to the Watson strict focus on observable
behaviors
Organisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive
outcomes & they tend not to repeat responses that lead to
neutral or negative outcomes.
Working with lab rats & pigeons, he conducted experiments to
show how he could control behaviors of the animals.
**Trained pigeons to play Ping-Pong!**
Wrote Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) – asserted that all
behavior is fully governed by external stimuli.
People are controlled by their environment, not by themselves.
Free Will is an Illusion?
Skinner is often thought to be the most or one
of the most influential contributors to
psychology. **much more on behaviorism in the chapter on “Learning.”
The “Skinner Box”
“Give me a dozen healthy young infants… I will take any one
and create… a doctor, a lawyer, and yes, even a beggar man thief.”
- John B. Watson 1913
According to Watson, set up
environmental conditions & give rise to
the desired behavior.
Rewards => Reinforcements
Skinner took Watson’s ideas to new
heights.
YouTube: Psych 101 - Skinner Box
Psych as a Science: Modern Era Biological Approach
To understand human behavior, the physiological
underpinnings must be understood.
Neuroscientific Perspective: Cellular, Neuron,
Brain & Central Nervous System
Role of drugs, Use animal models as means to
understand human behavior. How are messages
relayed throughout the body?
What role do our senses play?
Endocrine system – glands, hormones The
Fight or Flight Response is an example.
Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Cognitive Approach
The Cognitive Approach believes memory,
language, thought and attention – cognitive
measures are worth examination.
Semantic relatedness – connectedness of ideas in
memory.
When given two words to say out loud, a person will say 2
words that are related much faster than 2 that are unrelated
Very popular today – social, developmental, personality, &
clinical psychology.
In order to understand the individual, one must understand the
way people think, remember, process information, & reason
about the world.
Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Evolutionary Psychology
Examines psychological traits such as memory,
perception, and language from a modern evolutionary
perspective.
Seeks to identify which human psychological traits
are evolved adaptations – that is, the functional
products of natural selection or sexual selection.
Argue that much of human behavior is
the output of psychological adaptations
that evolved to solve recurrent problems in
human ancestral environments.
The adaptationist approach is steadily increasing as an
influence in the general field of psychology.
Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Humanism
1950s opposition to behaviorism and psychoanalytic theory
Humanism – theoretical orientation that emphasizes the
unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and
their potential for personal growth.
More optimistic view of human nature.
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) & Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
– prominent humanists in psychology
Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Humanism
People are goal related & driven
Self-actualization: someone who has reached his or her
own unique potential. (Maslow)
Free will & motivation – We are in complete control
In therapy, attempt to help individuals see the
misconceptions they hold in their subjective view of reality.
If those views are corrected, the individual will feel better
about themselves.
Psych as a Science: Modern Era - Socio-Cultural
Focuses on the diversity of the human experience
★ Context (developmental)
★ Influence of groups (social)
★ Applied aspect (forensic psychology)
Human behavior does not occur in a vacuum & groups, cultures,
and situations all have impact on human behavior.
Behavior can be predicted by the presence or
absence of another person.
YouTube: Schallhorn on Psychology Approaches
YouTube: Paul Bloom - The Psychology of Everything (48 min)
Growth of Psychology
Wars of 20th Century: (WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, etc.) created huge
demand for mental testing of military recruits.
50s & 60s: Advances in study of cognition led to renewed interest
in mental processes.
80s: saw a growth in cultural factors influencing behavior. Trend
sparked by growing global interdependence & cultural diversity.
90s: Emergence of new theoretical perspective: evolutionary
psychology. Patterns of behavior are the product of evolutionary
forces & natural selection favors behaviors that enhance
reproductive success.
2000s: Emergence of “Positive Psychology”: study of strengths &
virtues that enable individuals & communities to thrive. The
psychology of positive human functioning, which achieves scientific
understanding to find a fulfilling life.
Psychology Today: Vigorous & Diversified
Psychology: Science that studies
behavior & physiological & cognitive
processes that underlie it.
Psych. is a profession that applies the accumulated
knowledge of this science to practical problems.
Contemporary psychology is multifaceted
& spread throughout mainstream
society that has seen rapid growth.