Psych 1.1.2: Psychology's Early History

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Pioneered work on adolescent development and assisted in debunking theories that supported the notion that women were inferior to men

The philosopher who believed that the mind operated on the three levels of reason, will, and desire was __________.

Plato

John B. Watson

Proposed that psychologists should abandon the study of consciousness and study behaviors that could be observed directly, which led to the development of behaviorism

__________ is the school of psychology that believes perception is more than the sum of its parts—it involves a whole pattern.

D. Gestalt psychology

Which of the following statements is not true about what John Locke believed?

D. Knowledge is present in an individual from birth.

Which two philosophers believed that innate knowledge is discovered through logic?

D. Socrates and Plato

behaviorism

Definition: School of thought that defines psychology as the study of observable behavior. Usage: Teachers use the principles of behaviorism when they use consequences and rewards to shape students' behavior.

Who is considered the founder of psychology?

A. Wilhelm Wundt

Carl Rogers

Argued that human behavior is governed primarily by individuals' sense of self and that humans have a basic need to evolve and fulfill their potential

William James

Assisted in establishing the school of thought known as functionalism and wrote Principles of Psychology in 1890

Sigmund Freud

Austrian physician who developed the psychological procedure known as psychoanalysis and focused on studying the influence of the unconscious

B. F. Skinner

Behaviorist who claimed that all behavior was governed by external stimuli and that people are controlled by their environment and not by themselves

psychoanalytic theory

Definition: School of thought that stresses the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts in determining human behavior. Usage: According to the psychoanalytic theory, aggression is caused by unconscious motives.

structuralism

Definition: School of thought that studied the basic elements or structures of consciousness. Usage: One criticism of structuralism is that it focuses too much on unobservable elements of consciousness.

functionalism

Definition: School of thought that studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior. Usage: Functionalism, which developed in the early 1900s, was interested in how the mind functioned.

associationism

Definition: Theory that the mind is composed of elements organized by means of association. Usage: An example of associationism is associating summertime with swimming pools.

__________ showed that people learn to behave in certain ways because of reinforcement.

B. B. F. Skinner

What did B. F. Skinner believe drove one's behaviors? (Site 1)

B. F. Skinner believes that behavior is driven by external stimuli and that people are controlled by their environment and not by themselves.

Which philosopher believed that the soul operated on three levels: reason, will, and desire?

B. Plato

The school of thought that defines psychology as a study of observable behavior is __________.

B. behaviorism

William James was one of the leading founders of which school of thought?

B. functionalism

Which of the following is the school of thought that stresses the importance of unconscious motives and internal conflicts in determining human behavior?

B. psychoanalytic theory

Which school of thought focused on objective sensations, such as sight and taste, and subjective feelings, such as emotional responses, to study the conscious mind?

B. structuralism

Define behaviorism and explain who founded this school of thought.

Behaviorism is the school of thought that studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior. This idea was founded by William James. Founded by John B. Watson, behaviorism is a school of thought that defines psychology as "the scientific study of observable behavior."

Which philosopher maintained that knowledge comes from experience via the senses, and therefore, science should rely on observations and experiments?

C. John Locke

Who is considered the father of psychology in the United States?

C. William James

Ivan Pavlov introduced the concept of __________ when he taught a dog to salivate at the sound of a tuning fork.

C. conditioning

Which of the following is the school of thought that studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior?

C. functionalism

According to Freud, slips of the tongue __________.

C. represent a meaningful unconscious thought

William Wundt

Established the first formal laboratory for research in psychology at the University of Leipzig in 1879

Sigmund Freud learned about his patients by conducting experiments in his laboratory.

False

The first formal laboratory for research in psychology was established by B. F. Skinner.

False

Freud was an influential and controversial psychologist who believed that psychology should study the unconscious mind. Describe the two books Freud published in the early 1900s. (Site 3)

Freud published two books in the early 1900s. He first published The Interpretation of Dreams in 1900. This first introduced his controversial views on the unconscious mind to the public. Then in 1901, he published The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. Continuing to further his views, Freud wrote about how slips of the tongue are not accidental, but actually a product of our unconscious mind. These slips of the tongue are now referred to as "Freudian Slips" by many.

Explain the two ways in which functionalists use the term function. (Site 2)

Functionalists use the term function in 2 different ways. It can refer to the study of how a mental process operates, but it can also refer to how the mental process functions in the evolution of the species.

Explain in detail how Galen, a physician during the Middle Ages, expanded on Hippocrates' theory of the four humors and explain what he believed each humor represented. (Site 1)

Galen expanded upon Hippocrates' theory of the four humors by adding the idea of temperaments. He believed that each humor represented the co-responding psychological state and cause of diseases. Blood would be sanguine, signifying being cheerful; phlegm would be phlegmatic, signifying being sluggish; yellow bile would be choleric, signifying being angry; and black bile would be melancholy, signifying being sad.

Summarize in a complete paragraph how psychology has its roots in philosophy, and provide examples of two philosopher's contributions.

Psychology has roots in philosophy through Aristotle and Plato. Many of the questions asked in psychology today about the mind and how we acquire knowledge can be traced back through human history. Numerous philosophers have contributed to the field of psychology. For example, in Aristotle's numerous works, he discussed several psychological topics, such as memory, perception, and dreams. He suggested that the mind is where thinking takes place, and he also described the mind's individual capacities. Rene Descartes believed that the mind and body are separate but that a link exists between them, an idea in which many people still believe.

What did researcher Albert Bandura learn from his experiments with the Bobo doll? (Site 1)

Researcher Albert Bandura led an experimental study on aggression in children using a "bobo doll." In this study it is demonstrated that children learn through the observation of adult behavior, and that children will later mimic the acquired behavior, in this case being verbal and/or physical aggression.

__________ relies on introspection to reduce conscious experiences into basic elements.

Structuralism

Summarize the difference between structuralism and functionalism.

Structuralism studies the basic elements or structures of consciousness, while functionalism studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior. Structuralism is the school of thought that studies the basic elements or structure of consciousness. It focuses on objective sensations, such as sight and taste, and subjective feelings, such as emotional responses. Functionalism, on the other hand, is a school of thought that studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior. Functionalists study how cognitive processes help people and animals adapt to their environment and develop habits.

Edward Titchener

Studied psychology at Wundt's laboratory at the University of Leipzig and assisted in establishing the school of thought known as structuralism

For centuries, philosophers have explored questions about how the mind works and acquires knowledge.

True

Functionalism is the school of thought that studies the function and purpose of consciousness and behavior.

True

Psychology is a combination of the Greek words psyche, which means "soul" or "mind," and logos, which means "the study of."

True

René Descartes was the first person to describe a reflex.

True

Mary Whiton Calkins

Was denied a PhD from Harvard because of gender and was the first woman to serve as president of the American Psychological Association in 1905

Margaret Floy Washburn

Was the first woman to receive a PhD in psychology and the second woman to serve as president of the American Psychological Association in 1921