PSY1011 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Edward B. Titchener, Evolutionary Psychology, Scientific Method
4 May 2018
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History of Psychology (Module 1 & pp. 492-495: Exploring Psychology)
1. Critical thinking is thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather,
it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence,
and assesses conclusions.
• Critical thinking can be used as part of everyday life.
• It is also related to scientific thinking, which combines three elements:
o Curiosity about the world around us
o Skepticism about unproven claims and ideas
o Humility aout oe’s o uderstadig, i the koledge that e are
all capable of making mistakes
2. Structuralism is an early school of thought promoted by Wundt and Titchener. It used
introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind.
• Wundt established the first psychology laboratory, in 1879 in Germany. He
studied conscious awareness.
• Psychologist Edward Bradford Titchener engaged people in self-reflective
introspection (looking inward) by training them to report elements of their
experience as they performed certain tasks (e.g. looking at a rose, smelling a
scent, etc.).
• However, introspection failed as a method for understanding how the mind works
eause people’s self-reports varied, depending on their experience and the
perso’s itelligee ad eral ailit.
3. Functionalism is an early school of thought promoted by James and influenced by Darwin.
It explored how mental and behavioral processes function—how they enable the organism
to adapt, survive, and flourish.
• Under the influence of evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, Philosopher-
psychologist William James assumed that thinking, like other human functions
(seeing, smelling, etc.), developed because it was adaptive—it contributed to our
aestors’ surial.
4. Behaviorism is the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies
behavior without reference to mental processes.
• John B. Watson, and later B. F. Skinner, dismissed introspection and redefined
psholog as the sietifi stud of oserale ehaior.
• Ma agreed, ad ehaioris eae oe of psholog’s to ajor fores ell
into the 1960s.
• Most psychologists today agree that it should be an objective science but do not
agree with the fact that it should study behavior and not mental processes.
5. Psychodynamic theories view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the
importance of childhood experiences. Psychoanalysis is Freud’s theor of persoalit that
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts; the techniques used
in treating psychological disorders by seeking to expose and interpret unconscious
tensions.
• Unconscious is, according to Freud, a reservoir of mostly unacceptable thoughts,
wishes, feelings, and memories. According to contemporary psychologists, this is
information processing of which we are unaware.
o Free association is a psychoanalytical method of exploring the
unconscious in which the person relaxes and says whatever comes to
mind, no matter how trivial or embarrassing.
• Personality is a idiidual’s harateristi patter of thikig, feelig, ad atig.
Freud believed that human personality arises from a conflict between impulse
and restraint—between our biological urges and social controls over these urges.
He broke personality down into three parts:
o id—a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic
sexual and aggressive drives. The id operates on the pleasure principle,
demanding immediate gratification.
o superego—the part of personality that represents internalized ideals
and provides standards for judgment (the conscience) and future
aspirations.
o ego—the largel osious, eeutie part of persoalit that
mediates among the demands of the id, superego, and reality. The ego
operates on the reality priiple, satisfig the id’s desires i as that
will realistically bring pleasure rather than pain.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
492-495: exploring psychology: critical thinking is thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions. Rather, it examines assumptions, appraises the source, discerns hidden biases, evaluates evidence, and assesses conclusions: critical thinking can be used as part of everyday life. It used introspection to reveal the structure of the human mind: wundt established the first psychology laboratory, in 1879 in germany. ), developed because it was adaptive it contributed to our a(cid:374)(cid:272)estors" sur(cid:448)i(cid:448)al: behaviorism is the view that psychology should be an objective science that studies behavior without reference to mental processes. Freud believed that human personality arises from a conflict between impulse and restraint between our biological urges and social controls over these urges. He broke personality down into three parts: id a reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives. O(cid:373)e ps(cid:455)(cid:272)hoa(cid:374)al(cid:455)sts i(cid:374) freud"s era (cid:271)elie(cid:448)ed that girls experienced a parallel electra complex.
