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A Little History. Psychology 1106. A little History. Before the beginning of science (mid 1600s) psychology was clearly in the domain of the philosophers Indeed, all sciences were Physics was the first to leave the nest Then chemistry Biology Finally, us. Aristotle.
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A Little History Psychology 1106
A little History • Before the beginning of science (mid 1600s) psychology was clearly in the domain of the philosophers • Indeed, all sciences were • Physics was the first to leave the nest • Then chemistry • Biology • Finally, us
Aristotle • Believed that the heart was the seat of behaviour • He noted the importance of the brain (but it was for cooling blood he figured)
British Empiricists • Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) • Contents of mind rest on experience • John Locke (1632-1704) • ‘white paper’ or tabula rasa
Rene Descartes • Descartes said that we were machines with a soul • The notion was that the mind and the body were separate • Animals have no soul
And yadda yadda yadda…. • By the 19th century people were talking about psychology • Still the philosophers held sway • Last half of the 19th century changed this • The zeitgeist of the time changed
What the hell does zeitgeist mean? • I don’t speak freaky deaky Dutch Mr. Goldmember • The spirit of history • The enlightenment of the 18th century was affecting the common person • Science and technology could explain everything
Gesundheit • Even the origins of humanity could be explained without appealing to religion! • Charles Darwin and the Origin of Species • So like you could figure out anything with science!!
Wilhelm Wundt • 1879 Leipzig • Established his lab at the University of Leipzig • Studied psychophysics • Many of those methods are still used today
William James • Published his ‘Principles of Psychology’ in 1890 • Lots of introspection • Looking into yourself • Got lots of stuff right
John B. Watson and Behaviourism • Became president of the APA in 1915 • A reaction against introspection • For Watson and his ilk, introspection was a very bad thing • Turning psychology back into philosophy
Behaviourism • BF Skinner and Ivan Pavlov • Consciousness is an epiphenomenon • Only concerned with the observable • Skinner really became the spokesman for this view, Pavlov was not a behaviourist • Skinner had a huge hold on psychological thinking in North America
Meanwhile in Europe…. • Freud • Boooooooo • Dirty old man crack head from Vienna • Psychoanalysis • It is all about sex, • With your mother….
Those wacky Europeans, they are so, European • Piaget • Child development • Lorenz • Imprinting • Kohler • Insight learning • Gestalt psychology • Clearly different from Behaviourism
Cognitive Revolution • This stuff, and a lot of interesting data (especially HM) lead to the idea that we should be more concerned about thinking • Brenda Milner • She is the one on the left… • The cognitive revolution hit every part of psychology
More recent developments • Brain imaging • PET fMRI • Watch people think! • Computers • Modeling and AI • Now we are splitting up into cognitive science, neuroscience and AI • Many old ideas have been rediscovered • Species differences • Ideas about memory • Going through stages
In Canada • Psychology has always been strong in Canada • First lab in Canada was in 1890 at U of T • James Mark Baldwin • Research in Canada is funded by NSERC, SSHRC and CIHR
Bandura Tulving Hebb Milner Baldwin Craik Lockhart Shettleworth Roberts MacLoed Paivio Pylishyn Kolb Wishaw Honig Staddon Many big names are from Canada The most cited psychology Department in the WORLD is U of T