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Evolutionary
Judges human behavior in light of our primal instincts to survive and reproduce over time. -
Charles Darwin
Published “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” which argued that species were “modified descendents of earlier forms” and those that are better adapted to their environment will survive and reproduce. -
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Structuralism
Claimed that human consciousness can be broken down into small parts. By studying these smallest of parts by scientific method we could better understand the whole of humanity. -
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Ebbinghaus published his studies on memory in 1885. After forming lists of 3-letter nonsense syllables, he found that the more he rehearsed and studied them, the fewer repetitions he needed to remember the list the next day. His research can explain the forgetting curve and spacing effect. -
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Functionalism
focused on how human behavior works towards helping people comfortably in their respective environment -
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Psychoanalysis
Concerned with unconscious instincts, conflicts, motives, & defenses that motivate behavior. -
John Dewey
Published “The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology,” stressing the importance of empirical, rational thought over an experimental, trial-and-error philosophy. The capability of the mind was more important than the process of thought. He wrote in opposition to structuralism and the behavioral theory of stimulus and response. -
Sigmund Freud
The Interpretation of Dreams was published in 1900 by Sigmund Freud. Dreams are the attempt of the id to fufill it's desires, shown in symbolism and having manifest (storyline) content and latent (underlying) meaning. -
Ivan Pavlov
Pavlov pioneered Classical Conditioning by associating the sound of a bell to food so dogs would salivate. He received Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1904 although he started his research years earlier. -
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Behaviorism
Theory that behaviors are conditioned or brought about by environmental factors without using complex mental processes. -
Jean Piaget
Started his studies on Cognitive development including 4 stages; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operations, and formal operations. The exact timing of these stages are still debated. -
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Cognition
Concentrated on experiments researching the complex mental processes associated with learning, language, memory, and others. -
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Humanistic
Humanistic Psychology viewed values, holistic life theories, and evidence based on the human experience as more important than other models. -
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Biological/Neuroscience
Focuses on behavior and its relation to perception, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, and emotion. This is a more medical perspective into the way humans are made and function. -
B. F. Skinner
Skinner’s experiments were based on operant conditioning, issuing rewards for reinforcement of certain behaviors. The Skinner Box (operant conditioning chamber) consisted of an enclosure with a lever or button that could be pressed. The most common reward for the animals in the chamber was food. -
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Socio-cultural
Studies how apparent differences between cultures do or do not affect human behavior. -
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow published "Toward a Psychology of Being" in 1962 in which he described (in his view) the third branch of psychology, recognizing one's potential for growth and self-actualization. His hierarchy shows why we give up higher needs for lower, more basic needs. -
Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development
Studied the progression of morality, categorizing them into three main stages, Pre-conventional, Conventional, and Post-conventional. Further subdivisions help explain how we come from an avoidance of punishment to understanding universal principles such as justice, human rights, and equality. -
Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences
This theory published in 1983 considers intelligence of having many different forms including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal and intrapersonal.
