PSY 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Ethology, Psychophysics, Behaviorism

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Kenneth Campbell

Document Summary

Modern psychology consists of many different branches. These branches and divisions are somewhat arbitrary and are based on (1) whether the psychologist is a basic, fundamental researcher (an experimental psychologist), an applied psychologist using the applications of experimental psychology (thus an applied psychologist) or a clinical psychologist. Wilhelm wundt in leipzig, germany. Wundt studied basic and simple concepts of consciousness: structuralism. Titchener asked his research participants to verbally state what they were experiencing when, for example, they smelled a flower, heard music, and so forth. This method of looking inward and reflecting on one"s own conscious experience was called introspection. James is also considered by many to be an important (if not the most important) contributor to a branch of (an almost unique american) philosophy called pragmatism / functionalism (following in the tradition of other american thinkers such as benjamin franklin). Philosophers had long debated whether human existence was mainly material or nonmaterial in nature (the materialism versus idealism debate).