...even today. Behaviorism is, simply speaking, the analysis of a person’s response to his environment. John B. Watson, B. F. Skinner, and Edward C. Tolman would include their own varying details to accompany that definition. Most researchers in behaviorism concur that psychology should be considered as the study of behavior, not the study of the mental processes, and that behavior is caused by stimuli that abide in the external environment, not from the internal mind (Goodwin, 2008). From Watson’s first findings, which pushed behaviorism forward, Skinner proposed his own theory of behaviorism called radical behaviorism. Tolman believed that the important concepts of psychology could be deduced from the behavior displayed by rats traveling through mazes that he created (Goodwin, 2008). Even though they were thought of as behaviorists, their concepts and theories contrasted on a wide scale that went from Pavlov’s conditioning one end to the start of cognitive theory on the other end (Goodwin, 2008). Fundamental Perspective of John B. Watson John Watson (1878-1958) attended the University of Chicago where he studied under John Dewey. Dewey’s teachings did not satisfy him, and he soon decided to study under a functionalist psychologist named James Rowland Angell and Henry Donaldson, a physiologist. From their teachings, Watson began formulating his own beliefs, which would lead eventually to the establishment of what is called the psychological school of behaviorism. Watson’s...
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...different place if not for the behaviorist John Watson, the Radical Behaviorist B.F. Skinner and the Cognitive Behaviorist Edward Tolman. Each of these men created theories that involved the field of behaviorism and each man has shaped the way we see and understand our fellow man. Each of these men created theories that are still used as founding principles in their respective fields of psychology. The Birth of Behaviorism and John B. Watson The school of thought known now as behaviorism would not exist today without the birth of John Watson in 1878. John Watson was a highly intelligent man able to attend college at only sixteen years old. John Watson graduated with masters before his twenty second birthday. After graduating at only twenty one years old John Watson became a school principal. His career as a school principle was short lived; John Watson left his job to attend the University of Chicago. John Watson studied philosophy under John Dewey. Finding he was unsatisfied with John Dewy’s teaching John Watson chose two different professors, first the functionalist psychologist James Rowland Angell and second the physiologist Henry Donaldson. Using what he was able to learn from Angell and Donaldson, John Watson started to form his own ideas and theories about human behavior. John Watson’s teachings and theory’s would come to be known as "behaviorism". According to the American Psychological Association, "Behaviorism is defined as “A scientific approach that limits...
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...Capstone Course in Psychology PSY/490 Mr. Darriel Mc Whorter December 18, 2014 Psychological theories are the foundation of psychology they give us an understanding of the many aspects within this science. Theories help to explain the connection between the mind and body. Theories teach psychologists and therapists how to help others with mental illnesses. Behaviorism Behaviorism is mental activities, such as emotions that may motivate an individual to act in a certain way. An example, such as when an individual is in pain, it is likely that he or she you will scream, cry, or yell in pain. Behaviorism became very popular and is just one of the many schools of thought within psychology developed to explore and explain observable behavior. Behaviorism as described by its founders is the subject matter of human psychology and the behavior of animals and humans. Behaviorism argued that consciousness is neither definite nor a useable concept and that only the observable behavior of the animal or human being studied was the basis of psychology. The most influential people in behaviorism are considered to be: Watson, Skinner, and Pavlov. These scientists pioneered the study of behavior with experiments, and expanded upon the knowledge already existing from previous notable scientists. However, the problem with this school of thought is that it suggests that only observable behaviors should be studied, since internal states such as cognitions, emotions and moods are too subjective...
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...evolved so has the perspective of the different fields of psychology. Each thought, each view point has been reevaluated and new theories added but the values and core foundation and thoughts of the past are still held strong. Behaviorist such as John Watson, B.F Skinner, and Edward Tolman were some of the most historic men in the field of psychology; although they may be a thing of the past they set a foundation for future psychologists and the schools of thought. John Watson’s Perspective John Watson a young scholar was born in 1878, at the age of 16 Watson began his college education and graduated with his masters at 21. (Cherry, 2014). After working for a year as a school principal he decided to go back to school to study philosophy at the University of Chicago where he met two men a psychologist by the name of Henry Donaldson and a functionalist psychologist by the name of James Rowland Angell. (Cherry, 2014). Watson respected and admired the theories of these men, taking what he learned from them he came up with his own thoughts and theories which drove him to the theory of behaviorism; this theory is what began Watson’s career where he founded the psychology school of behaviorism. (Cherry, 2014). Watson’s behaviorism is the “learning perspective” of all organisms that deal with the act of feeling, thinking, and acting. (Cherry, 2014). His theory related to that of classical conditioning in which his belief was that people reacted to different forms of stimuli rather...
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...Behaviorism and Its Effect on the Understanding of Learning AIU Online Abstract This paper focuses on a brief summary on the history of behaviorism, starting with experiments conducted by Franklin Henry Giddings and Ivan Pavlov, a sociologist and a physiologist whom established the groundwork for behaviorism, particularly in America. In addition, this paper also explains the main components of behaviorism, which are classical conditioning and operant conditioning, connectionism, and the contiguity theory. It moves forward to explain four experiments that are popular through the study of behaviorism: the reason behind conditioned salivation in Ivan Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned responses in humans through Watson’s little Albert experiment, Thorndike’s research with cats and a puzzle box to demonstrate the law of effect through the use of reinforcements, and B.F. Skinner’s experiment with rats to prove how an organism learns through operant conditioning. Finally, this paper examines how, according to behaviorists, there are three principles of learning new and intricate behaviors, known as shaping, chaining, and fading. Behaviorism and Its Effect on the Understanding of Learning Behaviorism suggests that an organism learns from its environment. It is the result of the association between a stimulus and a response. An organism learns new behavior through classical or operant conditioning. It is a theory that does not base its ideals on emotions or prior knowledge. Some say behaviorism...
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...Psychology Paper Historical Roots of Psychology Psychology as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary is the science of mind and behavior. It has been around for 130 years in the realms of science. In the history of psychology, there are different people who studied different aspects under this topic. One of those people were Plato who was Aristotle’s teacher. He stated that the soul could exist even when away or separated from the body. This concept is known as “dualism”. “In dualism, ‘mind’ is contrasted with ‘body’” (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2012/entries/dualism). Another person is René Descartes. He agreed with Plato about the concept of dualism and he believed that the “pineal gland” which is the small organ at the base of the brain involved in sleep was the “seat of the soul” (Saundra K. Ciccarelli, 2012). “The pineal gland played an important role in Descartes' account because it was involved in sensation, imagination, memory, and the causation of bodily movements” (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/pineal-gland/). By this information we can connect the pineal gland being the seat of the soul by it being involved in sensation, imagination, memory, and the cause of bodily movements. It is said to be the seat of the soul because it is where the soul from being “individual”, becomes one with the body. Gustav Fechneris who was a physician and a physicist, often credited with performing some of the first scientific experiments that...
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...B.F. Skinner- Skinner believed that the only scientific approach to psychology was one that studied behaviors, not internal mental processes. He denied the existence of a mind as a thing separate from the body, but he did not deny the existence of thoughts, which he regarded simply as private behaviors to be analyzed according to the same principle as publicly observed behaviors. B. F. Skinner was one of the most influential of American psychologists. A radical behaviorist, he developed the conditioning idea that behavior is determined by its consequences, be they reinforcements or punishments, which make it more or less likely that the behavior will occur again. Jean Piaget- Jean Piaget's work had a profound influence on psychology, especially our understanding children's intellectual development. His research contributed to the growth of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, genetic epistemology, and education reform. Albert Einstein once described Piaget's observations on children's intellectual growth and thought processes as a discovery "so simple that only a genius could have thought of it." Sigmund Freud- When people think of psychology, many tend to think of Freud. His work supported the belief that not all mental illnesses have physiological causes and he also offered evidence that cultural differences have an impact on psychology and behavior. His work and writings contributed to our understanding of personality, clinical psychology, human development...
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...by Wundt, Titchener, James, and Freud. * From the 1920's until the 1960's, Americans John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner led the school of psychology known as behaviorism, focusing on the observation of people's behaviors. * Humanistic psychology, led by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, countered behaviorism during this period by focusing on the personal growth and well-being of people. * In the 1960's, psychology shifted back towards a focus on how the brain approaches information. Recently, cognitive neuroscience studies how brain activity causes mental activity. * To combine the study of both the internal mental activities and observable human behaviors, psychology became the science of behavior and mental processes. TERMS * ------------------------------------------------- cognitive neuroscience An academic field concerned with the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It addresses the questions of how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by the brain. Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both psychology and neuroscience, overlapping with disciplines such as physiological psychology, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology. Cognitive neuroscience relies upon theories in cognitive science coupled with evidence from neuropsychology, and computational modelling. * ------------------------------------------------- behaviorism An approach to psychology...
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...On the other hand, psychology has goals as description, explanation, prediction, and control. They help them to know and understand the humans’ behavior. As described, there are many perspectives of early and modern of psychology. We are going to start talking about the perspectives of early psychology. These are structuralism, functionalism, gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism. Structuralism the earliest approach in modern psychology, founded by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 in Germany, its goal was to evaluate the basic elements of a cognizant experience. Also, he was the father of psychology. One of Wundt’s students was Edward Tichener who brought the structuralism to America. They believed that every experience could be broken down into each emotion. After a while, in 1894, one of Titchener’s students was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Regrettably, structuralism died in 1900s. On the other hand, functionalism was created by William James. Structuralism’s work was to how the brain allows humans to adapt and live in a place. Mary Whiton Calkins was a student’s James denied Ph.D. in Harvard University because she was a woman who completed every course to earn it. Gestalt psychology started with Wertheimer, who studied sensation and perception. It is part of the study of cognitive psychology that field focusing not only on perception but also on learning, memory, thought process, and...
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...Chapter 1 The Origins of Psychology A. The Definition of Psychology – the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. B. The Influence of Philosophy and Phsiology – the earliest origins of psychology can be traced back several centuries to the writings of the great philosophers. C. Wihelm Wundt Founder of Psychology—use scientific method to study fundamental psychological processes. Founder of pshyc. German opened the 1st building for psychology in germany. D. Edward B. Titchener: Structuralism – Astablish the 1st major school of thought called structuralism. E. William James: Functionalism – school of functionalism adapt to environment stressed how we learned. F. Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalysis – Most concept there of pshy. Father of psychonaly is study of unconice with sex and aggression. G. John B. Watson: Behaviorism – emerged as a dominating force. Emphasis on consciousness promoted by structuralism and functionalism. (Behaviorism – school of psychology and theoretical viewpoint that emphasizes the study of observable behaviors, especially as they pertain to the process of learning) H. Carl Rogers: Humanistic Psychology – good self a steam tell them they can be anything. Study concent experience develop human potential humanism (Humanistic psychology – School of psychology and theoretical viewpoint that emphasizes each person’s unique potential for psychological growth and self-direction). Contemporary Psychology A. Major...
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...(University of Phoenix, 2013). In contrast, psychology’s history as a science dates back only about 130 years. Wilhelm Wundt, the “father of psychology,” set up a laboratory in 1879 to study conscious experience. By insisting on systematic observation and measurement, he got psychology off to a good start. Wundt’s ideas were carried to the United States by Edward Titchener who called Wundt’s ideas structuralism and tried to analyze the structure of mental life into basic “elements” or “building blocks” (University of Phoenix, 2013). After Titchener, one of the first philosophies developed was Functionalism by American scholar William James. James helped establish the field as a separate discipline. The functionalists admired Charles Darwin, who deduced that creatures evolve in ways that favor survival. Functionalism spurred the rise of industrial/organizational psychology, the study of people at work (University of Phoenix, 2013). Functionalism and structuralism were soon challenged by behaviorism, the study of observable behavior. Behaviorist John B. Watson believed that introspection is unscientific precisely because there is no way to settle disagreements between observers. These observations were objective because they did not involve introspecting on subjective experience (University of Phoenix, 2013). The best-known behaviorist, B. F. Skinner, believed that our actions are controlled by rewards and punishments. As a “radical behaviorist,” Skinner also believed...
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...11, 2011 History of Psychology Psychology at one time was just a branch of philosophy, it was 1000’s of years before it was known to be a formal discipline. It evolved from “ideas” of early philosophers into a science of its own. Centuries ago Western Philosophers began the formation of psychology as a branch of philosophy, but explored the subject in a more rationale scientific way throughout the years. Just as it took centuries for the science of psychology to implore, it was and still is, developing into the 19th century. Beginnings of Psychology Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt was a German physiologist, physician, philosopher, professor, and psychologist. He is well known as the “father of experimental psychology (Bringmann, 1975). At the University of Leipzig he founded the very first formal laboratory for psychological research in 1879. In the laboratory the exploration basically of the subconscious and conscience mind began. He studied the nature of religious beliefs and how they”conditioned” human behavior. Wundt also researched the damaged parts of the brain; he started identifying mental disorders and abnormal behaviors (Bringmann, 1975). With this research Wundt was able to separate psychology as a science from philosophy. In 1881, Wundt created the first journal for psychological research. Wundt also wrote, Principles of Physiological in 1874, which was very important in the development of psychology. In the Principles...
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...PSYCOLOGY Wilhelm Wundt is the man most commonly identified as the father of psychology. Why Wundt? Other people such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Gustav Fechner, and ErnstWeber were involved in early scientific psychology research, so why are they not credited as father of psychology? Because Wundt's formation of the world's first experimental psychology lab is usually noted at the official start of psychology as a separate and distinct science. By establishing a lab that utilized scientific methods to study the human mind and behavior, Wundt took psychology from a mixture of philosophy and biology and made it a unique field of study. Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt (16 August 1832 – 31 August 1920) was a German physician, physiologist, philosopher, and professor, known today as one of the founding figures of modern psychology. Wundt, who noted psychology as a science apart from biology and philosophy, was the first person to ever call himself a Psychologist. He is widely regarded as the "father of experimental psychology".[4][5] In 1879, Wundt founded the first formal laboratory for psychological research at the University of Leipzig. This marked psychology as an independent field of study *Introduction of Psycology Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, cognition, and emotion. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres...
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...UNIT 1: THE DEFINITION AND HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY QUESTION #1.1: What is the definition of psychology? Psychology is best defined as the "scientific study of behavior in humans and animals." Behavior is what people and animals do: e.g., what a person says about last night's dream, and how long it takes a rat to run a maze. You might think that psychology was the "study of the mind" due to the fact that the prefix psyche is Greek for mind, soul, spirit, and the suffix ology refers to the study of something. Almost a hundred years ago, John Watson decided that psychology should be a science: not just a vague and introspective reflection on our own thoughts and feelings. Watson urged that psychology be defined as the scientific study of behavior. Since about 1920, most university psychologists have accepted Watson's definition. So, think of psychologists as scientists who study behavior. Introspection was the first technique for studying the mind There are some terms related to psychology that are frequently confused with it. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine specializing with mental disorders. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, and have been through medical school, an internship, residency training, and board certification as specialized physicians. The letters M.D. usually appear at the end of the name. The letters at the end of the name of a psychologist may be 1 Ph.D., Ed.D., or Psy.D., and so it may be appropriate to address a psychologist as...
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...The 7 Main Approaches/Perspectives to Psychology *Many psychologists may believe that each perspective has valid explanations depending on the specific situation, and this point of view is called eclectic. This term refers to the claim that no one perspective has all the answers to the variety of human thought and behavior. Psychologists tend to use various perspectives in their work depending on which point of view fits best with the explanation. |Approach & Its Influential Period |Principle Contributors |Subject Matter |Basic Premise | | |Carl Rogers-Person-centered therapy|Unique aspects of human |Belief that we choose most of our behaviors and | |Humanistic |and unconditional positive regard |experience |these choices are guided by physiological, | |(1950s-Present) |Abraham Maslow-Hierarchy of Needs | |emotional or spiritual needs. Humans are free, | | |and Self-Actualization | |rational beings with the potential for personal | | | | |growth, and they are fundamentally different from | | | | ...
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