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Functionalism
Functional psychology or functionalism refers to a psychological philosophy that considers mental
life and behavior in terms of active adaptation to the person's environment. William James (1842-1910) was a functionalist, someone who studies how mental processes helps animals and people adapt to their environment. James focused on the functions or purposes of the conscious mind and the goals or purposes of behaviors. James studied the functions (rather the structures) of the conscious. -
Structuralism
Structuralism in psychology is a theory of consciousness developed by Wilhelm Wundt and his mentee Edward Bradford Titchener. Wilhelm Wundt (1832-1920) was a structuralist, which means that he was interested in the basic elements of human experience. He developed a method of self-observation called introspection to collect information about the mind. Wundt's experiments were important because advanced our understanding of the mind. -
Inheritable Traits
Sir Francis Galton (1822-1911) wanted to understand how heredity influences a persons abilities, character, and behavior. Galton's studies focused on how genius or eminence is a hereditary trait. He did not consider that distinguished families may also have exceptional environments and socioeconomic advantages. -
Behavioral Psychology
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) was a behaviorist, a psychologist who analyzes how organisms learn or modify their behavior based on their responses to events in the environment. Pavlov is known for
his salivating dog experiment. This experiment enabled him to explain how certain acts and differences among individuals were the results of learning. John B. Watson (1878-1958) further maintained that all behavior is the result of conditioning and occurs because the appropriate stimulus is present. -
Psychoanalytic Psychology
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a psychoanalyst, someone who studies how unconscious
motives and conflicts determine human behavior.Freud believed unconscious motivations and conflicts are responsible for most human behavior. He developed free association, which is the technique of having a patient say everything that comes to mind. He also used dream analysis and believed that dreams are expressions of the most primitive unconscious urges. -
Gestalt Psychology
A group of German psychologists, Max Wertheimer (1880-1943), Wolfgang Kohler(1887-1967), and Kurt Koffka(1886-1941), disagreed with structuralism and behaviorism. They believed that perception is more than the sum of its parts-it involves a "whole pattern" or, in German, a "Gestalt". They studied how sensations are assembled into perceptual experiences. -
Biological Psychology
Biological psychology is known today as behavioral neuroscience. Psychobiologists study how the brain, nervous, hormones and genetics influence our behavior. They have found that genetic factors influence our behavior. Also discovered a link between chemicals in the human brain and human behavior. -
Behavioral Psychology again
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) introduced the concept of reinforcement, which is a response to a behavior that increases the likelihood the behavior will be repeated. -
Cognitive Psychology
Cognitivists, such as Jean Piaget, Noam Chomsky, and Leon Festinger, focus on how humans process, store, and use information and how the information influences our thinking, language,creativity, and problem solving. They believe that behavior is more than a simple response to a stimulus. Cognitivists favor that behavior is influenced by a variety of mental processes. -
Humanistic Psychology
In the 1960s, humanists such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Rollo May described human nature as evolving and self-directed.It does not view humans as being controlled by events in the environment or by unconscious forces. instead those factors serve as a background to our own internal growth.The humanistic approach emphasized how each person is unique and has a self-concept. -
Sociocultural Psychology
Socioclutural psychology involves studying the influence of cultural and ethnic similarities and differences on behavior and social functioning. Sociocultural psychologists consider how our knowledge and ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving are dependent on the culture to which we belong. They study attitudes,values,beliefs, social norms, and norms of various racial and ethnic groups. They also study the impact and integration of the millions of immigrants who come to the U.S. each year.
