PSYC 2510 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: B. F. Skinner, Edward B. Titchener, Abraham Maslow
21 Sep 2015
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Document Summary
Psychology is the child of classic philosophy, 19th century philosophy and physiology. All three were interested in the mysteries of the mind. Psychology was born as an independent discipline in 1879 when wilhelm wundt established the first psychological research laboratory at leipzig, germany. The primary focus would be on the scientific study of consciousness. Structuralists such as edward titchener believed the task of psychology was to analyze consciousness into basic elements and investigate how they"re related. On the other hand, functionalists such as william james believed psychology should investigate the functions and purpose of consciousness. Led by john b. watson, behaviourists argued that psychology should study only the observable and campaigned to redefine it as the science of behaviour. The importance of the environment"s influence was heavily emphasized over heredity. They explored stimulus-response relationships, and animal testing became a prominent method of research. Sigmund freud"s psychoanalytic theory emphasize that the unconscious holds influence over one"s personality, motives, and sexuality.
