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History of Psychology.

The History of Psychology as a scholarly study of the mind and behavior dates back to the Ancient Greeks. There is also evidence of psychological thought in ancient Egypt. Psychology was a branch of philosophy until the 1870s, when it developed as an independent scientific discipline in Germany and the United States. Psychology borders on various other fields including physiology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, sociology, anthropology, as well as philosophy and other components of the humanities.

Wundt is credited with setting up psychology as a field of scientific inquiry independent of the disciplines philosophy and biology.

The study of psychology in a philosophical context dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, India, and Persia. Historians point to the writings of ancient Greek philosophers, such as Thales, Plato, and Aristotle (especially in his De Anima treatise), as the first significant body of work in the West to be rich in psychological thought. As early as the 4th century BC, Greek physician Hippocrates theorized that mental disorders were of a physical, rather than divine, nature.

German physician Wilhelm Wundt is credited with introducing psychological discovery into a laboratory setting. Known as the “father of experimental psychology”, he founded the first psychological laboratory, at Leipzig University, in 1879. Wundt focused on breaking down mental processes into the most basic components, motivated in part by an analogy to recent advances in chemistry, and its successful investigation of the elements and structure of material. Although Wundt, himself, was not a structuralist, his student Edward Titchener, a major figure in early American psychology, was a structuralist thinker opposed to functionalist approaches.

Functionalism formed as a reaction to the theories of the structuralist school of thought and was heavily influenced by the work of the American philosopher, scientist, and psychologist William James. James felt that psychology should have practical value, and that psychologists should find out how the mind can function to a person’s benefit. In his book, “Principles of Psychology”, published in 1890, he laid the foundations for many of the questions that psychologists would explore for years to come. Other major functionalist thinkers included John Dewey and Harvey Carr.

Other 19th-century contributors to the field include the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneer in the experimental study of memory, who developed quantitative models of learning and forgetting at the University of Berlin, and the Russian-Soviet physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who discovered in dogs a learning process that was later termed “classical conditioning” and applied to human beings.

Starting in the 1950s, the experimental techniques set forth by Wundt, James, Ebbinghaus, and others would be reiterated as experimental psychology became increasingly cognitive concerned with information and its processing and, eventually, constituted a part of the wider cognitive science. In its early years, this development was seen as a “revolution”, as it both responded to and reacted against strains of thought, including psychodynamics and behaviorism, that had developed in the meantime.



Exercise1. Fill in the blanks with prepositions:

1. There is also evidence … psychological thought … ancient Egypt.

2. Wundt is credited … setting up psychology as a field … scientific inquiry independent of the disciplines philosophy and biology.

3. German physician Wilhelm Wundt is credited with introducing psychological discovery … a laboratory setting.

4. In his book, Principles of Psychology, published … 1890, he laid the foundations … many of the questions that psychologists would explore … years to come.

5. Wundt focused … breaking down mental processes into the most basic components.

6. Psychology was a branch … philosophy until the 1870s, when it developed as an independent scientific discipline … Germany and the United States.

Exercise2. Fill in the gaps in the sentences below with an appropriate phrasal verb from the box:

Setting up, find out, borders on, concerned with, dates back

1. The History of Psychology as a scholarly study of the mind and behavior …… to the Ancient Greeks.

2. Psychology …… various other fields including physiology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, sociology, anthropology, as well as philosophy and other components of the humanities.

3. Wundt is credited with ….. psychology as a field of scientific inquiry independent of the disciplines philosophy and biology.

4. James felt that psychology should have practical value, and that psychologists should …. How the mind can function to a person’s benefit.

5. Starting in the 1950s, the experimental techniques set forth by Wundt, James, Ebbinghaus, and others would be reiterated as experimental psychology became increasingly cognitivist - ….. information and its processing – and, eventually, constituted a part of the wider cognitive science

Exercise3. Give synonyms for the following words:

Artificial, inquiry, treatise, divine, investigation, approach, value, benefit, quantitative, strain.

Exercise4. Answer the following questions:

1. By whom dates back to the history of psychology?

2. Is there also evidence of psychological thought in ancient Egypt?

3. In what other fields does psychology border on?

4. Whose writings do historians point?

5. Who founded the first psychological laboratory, at Leipzig University, in 1879?

6. When did publish the book “Principles of Psychology”?

7. Who discovered in dogs a learning process that was later termed “classical conditioning” and applied to human beings?


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1221


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