Contemporary Psychology

1. Contemporary Psychology

2. Scientific reasons for the decline of behaviorism • Findings began to occur that were inconsistent with learning theories • Behaviorist began to argue among themselves about the need to develop learning theories

3. The Zeitgeist • Psychologist became involved in WWII • Behaviorist psychology could not address important questions being asked • Psychologists were working with other professionals who contributed new tools for looking at human behavior

4. 1950’s –The beginning of the cognitive movement • 1954 – P. W. Bridgman, who gave psychology the concept of operational definitions renounced strict behaviorism • Jean Piaget – most of his studies done in 1920’s and 30’s, but not translated until 1950’s

5. 1950’s –The beginning of the cognitive movement • Two people instrumental in the resurgence of cognitive psychology • George Miller and Ulric Neisser

6. George Miller • Introduction to psychology mostly self-taught • 1950’s all textbooks were purely behaviorist • Latter part of the 1950’s he became interested in computers and computer simulations of the mind • Also encouraged to abandon behaviorism when he developed allergies to animal hair

7. Miller at Harvard • 1960 Hr and Jerome Bruner given William James old house to set up a lab to study the human mind • Miller chose the name cognition as the name for their subject

8. Center for Cognitive Studies • Developed to be against behaviorism • Behaviorism the ruling authority, they were anti-establishment (1960’s) • Topics studied: language, memory, perception, thinking, development, etc. • All basic parts of cognitive psychology and forbidden topics for behaviorists

9. Ulric Neisser • Physics undergraduate who took a psychology course from Miller • M.A. degree from Kohler and in 1956 received his PhD from Harvard • Found behaviorism to be very peculiar if not crazy

10. Ulric Neisser • 1st academic position was at Brandeis University – Abraham Maslow was chair of the dept. • 1967 – he published Cognitive Psychology in which he defined what it was • He was proposing a new way of studying human behavior not trying to start a new school of psychology • In 1976, he published a new book Cognition and Reality in which he criticized cognitive psychology for too much reliance on laboratory studies

11. Cognitive psychology today • The information processing and computer model of Miller and others has been abandoned for a brain model • The basic topics have remained the same although the immense increase in knowledge has created more specialized areas of study • Cognitive psychology like behaviorism has impacted all disciplines in psychology

12. Humanistic psychology • Basic ideas of Humanistic psychology were not new • Humanistic supporters developed the ideas at a time it when it could be accepted • Greatly effected by the unrest and dissatisfaction of young people in the 1960’s

13. Humanistic criticism of Behaviorism • 1. too narrow, sterile, and artificial approach • Emphasis on overt behavior was dehumanizing • Rejected the concept of humans functioning in a deterministic manner • Behaviorism did not address human characteristics that made us different than nonhumans

14. Humanistic criticism of Psychoanalytic theory • Too deterministic and ignored the role of consciousness • It only studied disturbed individuals • It ignored positive human qualities

15. Basic concepts of Humanistic psychology • Study all aspects of the human experience • Study normal healthy humans • Help normal people grow

16. Abraham Maslow • A staunch behaviorist who became influenced by Wertheimer and Ruth Benedict, an American anthropologist • Developed his hierarchy of need with self-actualization at the pinnacle of the pyramid • Humans seen in a very positive light – always striving to improve

17. Criticisms of Maslow • Subjective criteria for a person to be self-actualized • Very little empirical support for his theory • Based on very few subjects • Limited research failed to support his theory • Theory found to have a low degree of scientific validity and a very limited application to business and industry

18. Carl Rogers • Person-centered or client centered therapy • Personality was the result of a motivation similar to self-actualization • Studied people with mental disorders because he was treating people • People can rationally change their thoughts and behaviors from undesirable to desirable

19. Influence of Humanistic psychology • Roger’s person centered therapy still popular and frequently used • Never replaced behaviorism and psychoanalysis and never developed into a school of psychology • Most humanist were in clinical practice not academic positions • Continued to attack behaviorism and Freudian psychology long after their influence was gone • They never truly defined what it was, just what it wasn’t

20. Growth of Professional psychology in the U. S. • 1930’s almost all people calling themselves psychologists worked in universities and colleges • 1950’s only half were in academic positions

21. Influence of WWII • Need to treat war large number of war casualties and others created a large need for psychologists working outside academia • 1950’s APA set up the Board of Professional Psychologist to test and license professional psychologists • 1950’s and 1960’s demand for clinical psychologist much greater than the demand; now supply has caught up with demand

22. Changes in the nature of professional psychology • The result of other professions recognizing that knowledge of human behavior can be applied to many situations • Industrial settings • Management consulting • Quantitative applications – surveys, opinion polls etc.

23. Outside influences on psychology • Computers that revolutionized statistical analysis – Multi-variant statistics • Combining psychology with biological sciences – Cognitive Neuroscience • Psychology and medicine – behavioral medicine and health psychology

24. Has parapsychology (ESP) earned a place in psychological science? • Attempts of scientific study of psychic phenomenon date back to 1882 – the Society for Psychical Research in London • Proponents argue that parapsychology was once tangles up with astrology, numerology, magic and the occult, but it no longer is associated with these forms of mysticism. It now only includes • Precognition • Clairvoyance • Psychokinetics • Mental telepathy

25. Advocates of ESP • There are now experimental techniques that conform to strict scientific methodology • History is full of examples of phenomenon which at one time were caused by unknown factors • Their “science” is being held up to standards that no science could pass

26. Criticisms of ESP as a science • Gullibility of humans ; we easily fooled • Inaccuracy of our sensory systems • Inaccurate perception of probability of events • Illusion of control • No acceptable theory of what ESP is and how it works only what it isn’t

27. Examples of criticism • Probability – there are 22 people in a room. What is the probability that 2 of them have the same birthday? • What we perceive as a rare event isn’t always • Deja vue – • Dreams and other premonitions of things that will happen

28. Bottom line • The study of ESP will probably not be considered as a science by most until they can describe what it is and the system that underlies it. • Does this mean that it does not exist? • No, only that current evidence does not seem to support it now. It is necessary to be highly critical of their existence until the mechanisms have been identified.