2. What Is Psychology? Psychology is the science1 of mental processes and behavior. 1Systematic knowledge gained through observation and experimentation.
5. The Evolution of a Science Structuralism Wilhelm Wundt & Edward Titchener (student of Wundt) Focused on identifying the “building blocks” of consciousness (sensations & feelings) Introspection: Looking within Not objectively verifiable Wundt set-up 1st Psychology Lab in 1879
6. The Evolution of a Science Functionalism William James Influenced by Charles Darwin Studied how consciousness helped an individual survive and adapt to an environment Animal observations provide clues for human behavior James set-up the first psychology laboratory in America
7. The Evolution of a Science Gestalt Psychology Max Wertheimer Focused on consciousness and principles of perceptual organization The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
8. The Evolution of a Science Psychodynamic Theory Sigmund Freud The mind has separate components Conscious and unconscious components Much of behavior in influenced by the unconscious Psychoanalysis
9. The Evolution of a Science Behaviorism John Watson & B. F. Skinner The mind cannot be observed Behavior can be observed Science should study the observable Reinforcement Stimulus-response
10. The Evolution of a Science Humanistic Psychology Carl Rogers & Abraham Maslow Client-centered therapy We strive for self-actualization
11. The Evolution of a Science The Cognitive Revolution Alan Newell & Herbert Simon Focus on mental processes (information processing) Computer metaphor Cognitive neuroscience
12. The Evolution of a Science Evolutionary psychology Lida Cosmides, John Tooby, David Buss, & Steven Pinker Evolutionarily successful cognitive strategies and goals survived Cultural universality
