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PSYC 290 (GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY) SUMMARY NOTES ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY.
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PSYC 290 (GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY)SUMMARY NOTES ATAHABASCA
UNIVERSITY.
UNIT 1 – CHAPTER 1
1. Identify the origins of the word psychology. (p. 3)
The word Psychology comes from the Greek words Psyche, meaning the soul, and logos,
referring to the study of an object.
2. Summarize Wundt’s accomplishments and contributions to the field of psychology. (pp.
4-5)
Wundt mounted a campaign to make psychology an independent discipline rather than a
stepchild of philosophy or physiology. In 1879, Wundt succeeded in establishing the first formal
laboratory for research in psychology at the University of Leipzig. In deference to this landmark
event, historians have christened 1879 as psychology’s “date of birth.” Soon afterward, in 1881,
Wundt established the first journal devoted to publishing research on psychology.
Wundt was a tireless, dedicated scholar who generated an estimated 54 000 pages of books
and articles in his career (Bringmann & Balk, 1992). Outstanding young scholars came to Leipzig
to study under Wundt.
3. Compare structuralism and functionalism, and discuss their impact on the
development of psychology. (pp. 5-7)
Structuralism was based on the notion that the task of psychology is to analyze consciousness
into its basic elements and investigate how these elements are related. Although the
structuralists explored many questions, most of their work concerned sensation and perception
in vision, hearing, and touch.
Functionalism was based on the belief that psychology should investigate the function or
purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.
4. Describe Watson’s view of psychology with special reference to the nature-nurture
issue and animal research. (pp. 7-8)
Watson asserted that psychologists could study anything that people do or say—shopping,
playing chess, eating, complimenting a friend—but they could not study scientifically the
thoughts, wishes, and feelings that might accompany these observable behaviours. Watson’s
radical reorientation of psychology did not end with his redefinition of its subject matter. He
also staked out a rather extreme position on one of psychology’s oldest and most fundamental
questions: the issue of nature versus nurture. This age-old debate is concerned with whether
behaviour is determined mainly by genetic inheritance (“nature”) or by environment and
experience (“nurture”). Watson argued that behaviour is made, not born. In other words, he
downplayed the importance of heredity, maintaining that behaviour is governed primarily by
the environment.
Behaviourism’s stimulus–response approach contributed to the rise of animal research in
psychology. Having deleted consciousness from their scope of concern, behaviourists no longer
needed to study human subjects who could report on their mental processes. Many
psychologists thought that animals would make better research subjects, anyway. One key
,reason was that experimental research is often more productive if experimenters can exert
,considerable control over their subjects. Otherwise, too many complicating factors enter into
the picture and contaminate the experiment.
Comment: As Weiten and McCann (2013) indicate, Watson’s views have often been portrayed
as more extreme than they really were. If you read Watson’s books, you will find a focus on the
environment and its central role in influencing behaviour. However, you will also find extensive
treatment of instincts, a word that is no longer fashionable in psychology, but which refers to
the innate or unlearned traits that organisms acquire through heredity.
Since the 1980s, psychology has emphasized the contribution of hereditary factors in
influencing behaviour. Recent indications suggest this trend may be changing. Gobet (2002)
highlights the role of learning and practice in becoming adept at an activity—even playing
chess, which many people assume is a hereditary gifting (as cited in Ross, 2006, pp. 70-71).
5. Why did the Gestalt psychologists take issue with the behaviourist school? (p. 8)
The Gestalt theorists, who were primarily concerned with perception (we’ll discuss their ideas
in Chapter 4), argued that psychology should continue to study conscious experience rather
than overt behaviour.
6. Why did Freud’s psychoanalytic theory encounter resistance within psychology? (pp. 9-
10)
Freud made the disconcerting suggestion that people are not masters of their own minds.
Other aspects of Freud’s theory also stirred up debate. For instance, he proposed that
behaviour is greatly influenced by how people cope with their sexual urges. At a time when
people were far less comfortable discussing sexual issues than they are today, even scientists
were offended and scandalized by Freud’s emphasis on sex.
Comment: In this section, Weiten and McCann (2013) emphasize how psychoanalytic theory
was resisted by psychology. However, the main problem with psychoanalytic theory is that it
did not lead to an effective means of treating people for psychological disorders. Freud’s
concepts and principles are interesting, and they have intrigued artists and writers for decades.
As a therapy, however, psychoanalysis is expensive and its effectiveness has been questioned.
7. Who was B. F. Skinner? Describe Skinner’s viewpoint with regard to private events and
free will. Describe the influence that Skinner had on psychology and more widely
outside of academia. (pp. 10-11)
B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) was a young psychologist at Harvard who emerged as a central figure
in behaviourism and the history of psychology. Skinner had set out to be a writer but concluded
that he had “nothing important to say” (1967, p. 395). However, he had many important things
to say within psychology about behaviour. His impact on society was significant; in fact, he
became arguably the most famous scientist of his time (Rutherford, 2009).
Skinner did not deny the existence of internal, mental events but he redefined them as private
events and did not think that they should be given special status when explaining behaviour.
Skinner noted that these private events are much more difficult to study and much of his own
science of behaviour is based on public observable events. Although they could be studied
scientifically, he believed that there was little need to do so.
, The fundamental principle of behaviour documented by Skinner is deceptively simple:
Organisms tend to repeat responses that lead to positive outcomes, and they tend not to
repeat responses that lead to neutral or negative outcomes.
Skinner’s followers eventually showed that the principles uncovered in their animal research
could be applied to complex human behaviours as well. Behavioural principles are now widely
used in factories, schools, prisons, mental hospitals, and a variety of other settings (see
Chapter 6).
He asserted that all behaviour is fully governed by external stimuli. In other words, your
behaviour is determined in predictable ways by lawful principles, just as the flight of an arrow
is governed by the laws of physics. Thus, if you believe that your actions are the result of
conscious decisions, you’re wrong. According to Skinner, people are controlled by their
environment, not by themselves. In short, Skinner arrived at the conclusion that free will is an
illusion.
But his ideas were controversial and at the height of his influence, his was a house- hold name
not an academia one. Coverage of Skinner appeared in magazines and newspapers, and on
radio and television.
Comment: Skinner acknowledged that there were private, unobservable events. However, he
was more interested in the influences that private events exert on subsequent behaviour(s).
Athabasca University has an online psychology tutorial that is largely concerned with private
events. The tutorial was written by Dr. Jay Moore, a former president of the Association for
Behavior Analysis, and is available at http://psych.athabascau.ca/html/Behaviorism/. This
material is optional, but you may wish to explore this topic more closely.
8. Describe humanistic psychology, and briefly discuss its contribution to psychology. (pp.
11-13)
In psychology, led by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, humanism is a theoretical orientation
that emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential
for personal growth.
Rogers (1951) argued that human behaviour is governed primarily by each individual’s sense of
self, or “self-concept”—which animals presumably lack. Both he and Maslow (1954)
maintained that to fully understand people’s behaviour, psychologists must take into account
the fundamental human drive toward personal growth. They asserted that people have a basic
need to continue to evolve as human beings and to fulfill their potential. In fact, the humanists
argued that many psycho- logical disturbances are the result of thwarting these uniquely
human needs.
To date, the humanists’ greatest contribution to psychology has probably been their innovative
treatments for psychological problems and disorders.
Some psychologists find humanistic psychology more appealing that other theories, because in
the others suggested that people are not masters of their own destinies and failed to recognize
unique qualities of human behaviour.
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