- Father of psychology (Wilhelm Wundt)
- Consciousness = thoughts, emotions, experiences and other elements
- Invented objective introspection
(Objective introspection (def.): examining, measuring and self-reporting one’s own thoughts and mental activities objectively to understand the why)
O.I i.e. Noticing how you feel when anxious (e.g. tightness in the chest, shallow breathing)
- 1st Psychology lab in the world! University of Leipzig (1879)
- Edward Titchener
- Student of Wundt → brought his ideas to America
- Structuralism (def.): the study of the structure of the brain by breaking up conscious experiences into 3 basic elements (sensations, feelings and images)
(Images: memory)
(Died out in the 1900s)
- William James
- Functionalism (def.): the study of how the mind allows people to adapt to live, work and play
- Influenced modern educational, industrial/organisational psychology + other fields
- Wrote *Principles of Psychology*
- Max Wertheimer
- Gestalt psychology (def.): humans understand things as a complete whole and not in separate parts
- (Opposite of structuralism)
- Used for cognitive psychology
- *The whole is greater than the sum of the parts* → we cannot fully understand sensations + perceptions by breaking it down
(Naturally, see complete patterns/wholes, brain automatically organises info, perception is about the ENTIRE experience)
(Separate dots around arranged in a circle = see circle, not the separate dots)
- Sigmund Freud
- Psychoanalysis (def.): the concept of unconscious mind + believes that repressed urges caused nervous disorders
(Had patients with nervous disorder with no apparent cause)
- Stressed the importance of early childhood experiences
- Some modern psychotherapies based on psychoanalysis
- John B. Watson
- Behaviourism (def.): the focus of observable behaviours that can be directly seen and measured
- Inspired by Pavlov’s experiment → showed that a reflex could be conditioned/learned
- Pavlov’s experiment
1. Before conditioning: Exposed dog to food, earned a response (salvation)
2. Before conditioning: Rang a bell at dog, no response
3. During conditioning: Rang a bell whilst exposing dog to food, earned a unconditioned reponse (salvation)
4. After conditioning: Rang a bell with no food exposed, earned a conditioned response (salvation)
- Believed phobias were learn i.e. “Little Albert”
- Little Albert
- 9-month old baby + white rats
- Before conditioning: exposed him to white rats, which earned no fear response (Albert would approach them)
- During conditioning: when exposed to a white rat, Watson would hit a steel bar with a hammer creating a loud sound, making Albert cry and fearful
- After conditioning: Albert would then cry when he saw the white rat when NO loud sound was created (conditioned response)
- Developed onto all small and white furry creatures
- Never desensitised/deconditioned! (may have had it all his life)
