The notes cover all the necessary information within Chapter 1 of the prescribed SLK/Psychology 110 textbook.
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● Originated from philosophy and physiology. These professors became more
interested in the human mind and identified fascinating questions that they tried
to answer within their perspective field.
Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920), German. (Founder of Psychology)
○ Wundt campaigned to make psychology an independent discipline.
○ In 1879, Wundt created the first laboratory for research in psychology,
(University of Leipzig, Germany.).
○ 1879= Psychology Birthday.
○ 1881= First journal devoted to psychological research.
○ Believed psychology should be a science modelled on fields like physics
and chemistry.
○ Psychology was created as an independent discipline as a scientific study
of consciousness.
■ The awareness of immediate experience. Focuses directly on the
mind.
○ Principles of Physiological Psychology, claimed that consciousness is a
universal possession of all living organisms.
○ Experimental Psychology: The exact description of consciousness is the
sole aim.
○ Observing Behaviour: Quantifiable direct observation.
■ There are two types of observations:
● External: The way to gather data about psychology and
human behaviour using direct observation.
● Internal = Interception
,Structuralism vs Functionalism
● The first two major schools of thought are structuralism and functionalism.
● Structuralists were attracted to the lab where the functionalists were more
interested in how people adapt their behaviour to the world around them.
Structuralism- Edward Titchener (1867-1927)
○ Worked In Wundt’s lab. Englishman who emigrated to the U.S in 1892.
○ Taught at Cornell University.
○ Structuralism was based on the idea that the task of psychology is to
analyse consciousness into its basic elements and to investigate how
these elements are related.
○ Wanted to identify the fundamental components of conscious experience
(Eg. Sensations, feelings and images.)
○ Structuralists depended on the structure of introspection, or the careful,
systematic self-observation of one's own conscious experience.
○ He trained subjects to be more aware and “objective.”
■ After being trained they were exposed to auditory tones and
stimuli. They are then asked to analyse and describe the quality,
intensity and clarity of what is experienced.
■ Eg. Dead Rat: quality (Nauseating), Intensity (Strong) and
clarify (stench) of sensations.
Functionalism- William James (1842-1910)
○ American man.
○ Functionalism was based on the belief that psychology should investigate
the function or purpose of consciousness, rather than its structure.
○ Argued that the structuralist approach missed the nature of the conscious
experience.
○ According to James, Consciousness consists of a continuous flow of
thoughts. Structuralists were looking at a static point in the flow.
, ○ Believed in Adaptive Function or purpose of streams of consciousness.
■ Refers to the daily living skills that people perform to care for
themselves and to interact with others.
■ Part of a bigger whole.
○ Functionalists began to investigate mental testing, patterns of
development in children, the effectiveness of educational practices and
behavioural differences between the sexes.
○ Analysis of consciousness
■ Principles of psychology.
■ Paved the way for behaviourism and applied psychology.
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