Intro to Psychology: Chapter 1

study of the mind and behavior

“father of psychology”, established the first psychology lab at the University of Leipzig, Germany in 1879, did a scientific study of the conscious experience and developed the idea of introspection

he developed the structuralist school of thought, and developed rules for proper use of introspection: participant (in an experiment) must be in a state of “strained” attention, observation must be able to be repeated several times, and stimulus must be manipulable

he developed the functionalist school of thought, believing that mental processes are fluid and have continuity; a “stream of consciousness”. He also sought to understand how the mind, perception, habits, and emotions function to help us to adapt and survive

he developed the concept of psychoanalysis, the study of how unconscious thoughts/instincts influence behavior. Freud unpacked unconscious conflicts through: free associations, slips of the tongue, and dream analysis

belief that only observable behavior should be studied, and that environmental factors shape behavior

John Watson, Ivan Pavlov, E.L. Thorndike, and B.F. Skinner

behavior is only governed by the environment (nurture), and there is a relationship between stimulus and response

he developed a school of behaviorism known as Pavlonian or classical conditioning. He’d take a stimulus and pair it, which would be considered a neutral stimulus, meaning it didn’t produce any type of automatic response. For example, associating the sound of a whistle with food

he performed experiments in which he’d observe cats and dogs navigating through mazes. He discovered that providing a reward following a successful escape would lead to a strengthened learning between stimulus and response

consequences that follow behavior shape future behavior- reinforcement and punishment

Humanism

developed humanism as a school of thought, stressed “free will” and development of a healthy self-concept; drive toward personal growth, fulfilling one’s potential. Believed that humans are fundamentally different from animals. Maslow developed a hierarchy of needs

1) self-actualization 2) esteem & self-esteem 3) love & belonging 4) safety & security 5) physiological needs

Kaffka, Wertheimer, and Kohler

their study of perception in the early to mid 20th century, believing that “patterns take precedence over elements”. They rebelled against the school of structuralism.

a space is not completely enclosed, but if enough of a shape is indicated, people can find the whole by filling in the missing information

continuity occurs because a viewer’s eyes will naturally follow a line or a curve

simplicity occurs when objects in the environment are seen in a way that makes them appear as simple as possible

proximity occurs when elements are placed close together

similarity occurs when objects look similar to one another

studying animal behavior and motor development, first woman to be granted a PhD in psychology in 1894, and the second woman to be president of APA

studying memory & developing pair-associate test, earning a PhD from Harvard that was not properly awarded to her, first woman to be president of APA

theory of color vision, earned a PhD from Harvard in 1926