AP Psychology: Schools of Psychology

Biological

who: Olds, Sperry, Hubel, Wiesel what: Much of human and animal behavior can be explained in terms of the bodily structures and biochemical processes that allow organisms to behave. why: highlighted interrelations between mind, body, and behavior, also brought psychology back to its (physiological) roots.

Cognitive

who: Piaget, Chomsky, Simon what: Psychology must study internal cognitive processes (conscious thinking and mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge) to fully understand human behavior why: brought psychology back to its roots: the study of the psyche, also proved to be empirical, one of the most dominant perspectives in psychology today.

Humanism

who: Rogers, Maslow what: Psychology's emphasis should be on the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and potential for personal growth (realize full potential). attempt to counteract the "dehumanizing" theories of behavioralism and psychoanalysis. why: Optimistic view of human nature: humans are not pawns of their urges/environment, but by sense of self. Innovative treatments for psychological disorders.

Functionalism

who: american William James, Cattell, Dewey what: -Psychology should focus on the function/purpose of consciousness, not its structure. -Influenced by Darwin's idea of natural selection: inherited traits that offer reproductive/survival advantage are more likely to be passed down -consciousness, like other traits, has a purpose. - the "stream of consciousness" and how people adapt to their environment should be emphasized instead of individual elements of consciousness. why: - James' Principles of Psychology: standard reading for psychologists, most influential novel in psychology. - Structuralists introduced new subjects into psychology (mental testing, behavioral differences between the sexes). -Functionalism "won" the debate: did not fade away, led to development of behaviorism and applied psychology.

Evolutionary

who: Buss, Daly, Wilson, Cosmides, Tooby influenced by darwin what: Patterns of behavior in a species are products of evolution, just like their biological traits are. Natural selection favors behaviors that enhance organisms' reproductive/survival success why: First major new theoretical perspective since cognitive school in the 50s/60s, relatively new way of studying behavior in terms of its adaptive value to species.

Psychoanalysis

who: Sigmund Freud, Jung, Adler what: -Personality, motivations, mental disorders can be explained by studying the unconscious - thoughts, desires, memories below the surface of consciousness that affect behavior. - Psychoanalysis can be used to tap into the subconscious. - Behavior also influenced by how people cope with sexual urges. why: very controversial at first b/c of idea that people aren't totally aware of forces governing their behavior, but eventually gained widespread credibility, acceptance within fields like medicine and literature, mainstream branch of psychology today.

Structuralism

who: Titchener, aspects based on Wundt (1890s) what: psychology's task is to break down/analyze consciousness into its basic elements (vision, hearing, touch) and investigate how these elements are related. Depended on introspection: systematic observation of one's conscious experience. why: One of the original schools brought to America, focused on the individual fundamental components of consciousness, part of one of the first debates in psychology.

Behaviorism

who: Watson, Skinner what: -Psychology should focus on studying only observable behavior, and abandon the study of consciousness. - Studying things that can be observed objectively = only way to maintain verifiability and power of scientific method. -internal mental events cannot be studied scientifically -Nature vs. Nurture? Behavior is governed primarily by environment, studied through stimulus-response approach. -free will is an illusion: people controlled by environment. -emphasized study on animal behavior to study humans Why: Radical reorientation of psychology away from the study of consciousness completely, redefined the subject matter. Emphasized empirical research and became another dominant school of thought.