What was the first method of psychology
Experimental introspection
How did psychology shift in this time period?
From introspection to comparative and observational approaches
What did Kant do for psych?
Two separate domains of reality, inside and outside mind
Outside called noumenal
Never known because filtered through our mind and senses
Inner is phenomenal world
Mind is active
What was Kant’s causality?
We experience the world in time and soace and operating according to causal laws
World is not causal but mind is structured that to experience it that way
What is Kant’s legacy?
The mind organizes
Mind can’t be studied like natural sciences
Impossible to know mind because have to know one’s one mind to use the experience as basis of all knowledge
Mental phenomena can’t be observed
Observing them changes them
Mental processes can’t be reduced to math
What did Herbart contribute?
Assigned numbers to psych experiences, contradicting Kant
No objective standard
What did Weber contribute?
Measured points of sensitivity
Just-noticeable difference
Consistent and proportional across senses
What did Fechner contribute?
All life has consciousness
If jnd is constant it can be unit of measurement for subjectively experience intensity of a stimulus
What is Fechner’s law?
A curve showing increase in physical stimulation needed to produce psychological intensities
What was the implication for Fechner’s psychophysics?
Psychology can be quantified
How did German uni system change psychology?
Lehrfreiheit, Lernfreiheit Not just learning for jobs Philosophy’s rep rose Emphasis on breadth of knowledge Wissenschaft - all can be explored scientifically
How did US and German unis differ?
Germany - independent research valued, psych stayed under philosophy
In US, science colleges distiguished themselves from religious colleges
What was Wundt’s thought meter?
Test theory we are aware of two stimuli at same time
Measurable psych against Kant
What did Wundt do for psych?
Experimental introspection
Manipulated conditions of internal perception so they match external
To create passive reporters through repetition
To match natural sciences observation
Good for cognitive processes not for language
What did Ribot do for psych?
Associationism - consciousness built from elementary sensations through laws of association: contiguity, contrast, cause and effect
Normal and pathological states fall along spectrum
How did Galton influence osych?
Statistics
Distribution of characteristics in populations
Positive Eugenics from Darwin’s theories
What is mechanism?
All natural phenomena can be explained in terms of the causal interactions among material particles, without outside agency
What did James believe about agency and mechanism?
Mechanism determined consciousness so no free will
Natural laws ruled psychology “determinism”
How did James reconcile psych with metaphysics?
Natural scientists don’t ask themselves how they know their knowledge, so neither should psychologists
What were James’s 3 methods of psych?
Introspection
Experimentation
Comparison
We all have states of consciousness and can observe them
Why didn’t James liek German tradition?
Reduction of mental life to meaningless units
Consciousness is a stream
Anti-Wundt
Older introspection
What was James’s functionalism?
Uncover functions of mind, not contents or structure
Darwinian
To know what something does is to know what it is
What was pragmatism?
Scientific knowledge never certain
Beliefs subject to natural selection
What happened in early 1900’s?
Introspection out
Behaviourism in
How did Thorndike influence psychology?
Thorndike puzzle box
Animals learn by punishment and reward
Association
Stimulus response only
What did Pavlov bring to psych?
Thinking was association based
Rejected mind as cause of behaviour
What were Watson’s four published statements on behaviourism?
- Psychology has failed
- Introspection fails
- Consciousness and introspection go in the crapper
- Behaviourism rules
Why did behaviourism rule in early 20th century?
Migration to cities
Matching right worker to job became essential
Increased mastery and control in chaos
Science and scientific method to solve society’s problems
What were Watson’s contributions?
Little Albert
Only three emotions: fear rage love