2. What Is Psychology? Psychology is the science1 of mental processes and behavior. 1Systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation.
4. Is psychology all common sense? Take the Psychology Quiz and see for yourself
5. The Evolution of a Science Structuralism Wilhelm Wundt & Edward Titchener (student of Wundt) Focused on identifying the “building blocks” of consciousness Introspection: Looking within Not objectively verifiable
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 Focused on pragmatic issues such as improving education
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
