Psych11 General Psychology: handout#1 observation and measurement of predicted behavior.

Behavior,
The Nature of Psychology according to Morgan, means everything that a person does that
can be measured in some way, including feelings, attitudes, and
D E FI NI T I O N AND DEVELOP MENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AS mental processes or internal events that cannot be observed
A SC IENC E directly. These covert behaviors are measured through the
individuals reaction to carefully designed problems and
Psychology is universally viewed today as the scientific study of situations.
behavior and mental processes. Many significant findings in human behavior have been
the result of studies conducted on animals. This happens when
Its earliest definition dates back to the 16th century when the term some study is too unethical to be performed on humans. The
was coined from the Greek word psyche or soul and logos or results on animal studies can then be applied as true to humans as
study. Psychology then was defined as the study of the soul. well, anchoring on the scientific proposition that humans and
This was due to the influence of religion at that time. animals are alike in more ways than one.
Philosophers, medical doctors, and physiologists were the ones
involved in the study of human behavior. 1979
Ernest R. Hilgard and his associates definition of
In the 19th century, a great shift in the focus of the study began to psychology dominated the field for almost thirty years from the
redefine psychology. By 1890, psychology had emerged as a new 1930s through the 1960s. They define the field as the scientific
science because of the use of systematic and empirical procedures study of behavior and mental processes.
and methods instead of applying philosophical thoughts and On the other hand, Robert E. Silverman defines
physiological analysis on their studies. psychology as the study of human beings how they behave,
feel, think, get along with each other, and become the individuals
An American professor named William James (1842-1910) was that they are. He posits that behavior occurs simultaneously with
the proponent of the scientific basis in the study of human other behaviors, cautioning psychologists about making
behavior. His book entitled Principles of Psychology, the first conclusions based only on a limited observation of a persons
publication on the new science, was considered a great landmark behavior.
in the history of psychology. He defined psychology as the science
of mental life, the science of feelings, desires, cognition, Areas and Fields of Study in Psychology
reasoning, decision, and the like. BIOPSYCHOLOGY
Physiological Psychology
Chronological Development of Psychology Comparative Psychology
1974 Genetic Psychology
Norman L. Munn and his associates define psychology Experimental Psychology
as a biosocial science or a combination of biological and social Cognitive Psychology
science. Mans neural mechanisms, his senses, musculature, and DEVELOPMENTAL and PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY
other aspects of his biological nature play a fundamental role in Developmental Psychology
human experiences. The social aspect of psychology refers to the Child Psychology
organisms behavior as he adjusts to the environment around him. Adolescent Psychology
1976 Geriatric Psychology
Melvin H. Marx describes experience and behavior as Personality Psychology
the major elements of psychological investigation. The first HEALTH, CLINICAL, and COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY
element revolves around mans subjective experiences such as his Health Psychology
thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and similar mental activities. The Abnormal Psychology (Psychopathology)
second element includes the behavior of the organisms, including Clinical Psychology
man and the lower forms of animals. However, the issue on Counseling Psychology
quantifying overt (observable) and covert (hidden) behaviors is Educational Psychology
questioned by science itself, as covert behaviors cannot be School Psychology
scientifically examined. Psychometrics
Kurt Schlesinger and his associates adopted the SOCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, CROSS-
American Psychological Associations (APA) definition of CULUTRAL, and LEGAL PSYCHOLOGY
psychology as a scholarly discipline, a science, and a Social Psychology
profession. As a scholarly discipline, psychology represents a Community Psychology
major field of study in the academic setting. As a science, Industrial Psychology
psychology is a focus of research through which investigators Organizational Psychology
collect, quantify, analyze, and interpret data that describe animal Consumer Psychology
and human behavior. As a profession, psychology involves the Engineering Psychology
practicable application of knowledge, skills, and techniques for the Cross-cultural Psychology
solution or prevention of individual or social problems. Forensic Psychology
1977
Clifford T. Morgan defines psychology as the science of
human and animal behavior. Psychology is a science because it is
a body of systematized knowledge gathered through careful

1
THE HIS TORIC AL DEVEL OP MEN T OF PSYC HOL OGY
Philosophy and Science as the Main Historical Roots of Psychology
Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle searched for
the origin of knowledge by taking a position called rationalism
which states that true knowledge comes only through correct
reasoning and not through the senses. Plato reasoned that man
can be fooled by his senses just as magicians fool us with the
illusions they create. Aristotle was another rationalist who
recognized the importance of knowledge. His passion was called
empiricism.
During the Christian and medieval eras, theologian
philosophers gave answers to most psychological questions.
Saint Augustines book entitled Confessions discussed the
theological basis of memory, emotion, and motivation.
During the Renaissance period, philosophy once again
became the basis of answers to psychological questions from the
14th to the 17th century. The great French philosopher-
mathematician Rene Decartes and many others revived Platos
proposition. They rejected the authority of theologians to deal
with psychological issues. John Locke, an English philosopher
who favored empiricism (see Aristotle), put forth his famous
tabula rasa principle which states that a person is born like a
blank tablet on which life experiences conveyed through the
senses are written.
When philosophy seemed to have already reached its
limits, psychology turned to science in answering many
psychological questions, which became more believable and
convincing. Herman Von Helmholtz, a German physiologist,
demonstrated through experiments that rationalism had no
scientific basis to speak of. Another German mystic-philosopher-
physicist named Gustav Fechner supported science, and so he
introduced psychophysics to study the relationship between physical
stimulation and mental experiences.
Herman Ebbinghaus said that psychology has a long
past but only a short history. Aristotle and Plato might have been
the earliest sources of psychological inquiry, but it was only a little
over a hundred years ago when psychology was accepted as a
separate science.
The Dominant Schools of Psychology in the Late Nineteenth and Early
Twentieth Centuries
Structuralism. Advocates of this school of thought sought to
analyze the mind and its parts by studying conscious mental
experiences. Wilhelm Wundt was considered to be the first
modern psychologist because of his scientific study on the
relationship between physical energy and psychological
experience. Psychologists in this school of thought analyzed what
they considered to be the first three complex mental experiences
images, feelings, and sensations. The process of introspection
was the dominant theme, where an individual verbalizes what
information he can receive from his five senses.
Functionalism. This was rooted in Charles Darwins Theory of
Evolution, wherein he believed that inherited characteristics
helped a person adapt to the environment. The strong
characteristics used by our ancestors in the past have been passed
on to the present generation, enabling survival and elimination of
the weak traits.
Psychoanalysis. This third school had its roots in medicine, and
was founded by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician and
physiologist. He introduced the term unconscious mind (the
mind that is not awake in all circumstances; a place where we store
our forgotten or repressed thoughts). He believes that conflicts in
the mind are somehow linked to an individuals need for sex and
aggression. He further assumed that all memories of early
childhood, whether conscious or unconscious, which are
stored in the unconscious level of the mind, motivate ones
behavior in later life. Unfortunately, this field received much
criticism for Freuds failure to test his claims in the laboratory
setting. But this field opened up a wide variety of important topics
such as the study of dreams, motivation, psychotherapy, and
creativity, thus it is still considered as a major school of
psychological thought.
Behaviorism. This school rejected the study of the mind and
mental experiences to explain human behavior, as were the
contentions of the first three schools. Its founder, John B.
Watson, an American psychologist, explained that psychology
was a purely objective experimental branch of natural science,
which aims to predict and control behavior. This school focused
on observable behaviors, which could be recorded and
subjected to verification by other scientists. Watson denied that
mental processes could affect behavior. Thus, to Watson, a
person eats to satisfy the physiological deprivation of energy
(from sugar) rather than to satisfy the mental process of being
hungry. This field is more common in its contention of the
Stimulus-Response model, where an organism reacts either to be
satisfied or to avoid punishment.
Gestalt psychology. A German psychologist named Max
Wertheimer founded this last school of thought. He supported
functionalism but opposed structuralism. This school believes
that the whole is different from the sum of its parts. This
school introduced the notion that our mind processes information
as a whole, not as separate segments.
Different Approaches in the study of Psychology
The study of psychology can be approached from
several viewpoints. The neurobiological approach attempts to
relate our actions to events taking place inside the body,
particularly in the brain and nervous system. The behavioral
approach focuses on those external activities of the organism that
can be observed and measured. Cognitive psychology is
concerned with the way the brain actively processes incoming
information by transforming it internally in various ways. The
psychoanalytic approach emphasizes unconscious motives
stemming from sexual and aggressive impulses repressed in
childhood. Phenomenological and humanistic approaches
focus on the persons subjective experiences, freedom of choice,
and motivation toward self-actualization.
*end of chapter one*