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Can We Get in Someone’s Head?. Lecture 2: History and Methods 1/26/04. On human nature…. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle: pleasure, pain, imagination, desire, good vs. evil, free will >16 th century: studied soul, spirit, the “psyche” Descartes: body = physical; mind= spiritual
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Can We Get in Someone’s Head? Lecture 2: History and Methods 1/26/04
On human nature… • Socrates, Plato, Aristotle: pleasure, pain, imagination, desire, good vs. evil, free will • >16th century: studied soul, spirit, the “psyche” • Descartes: body = physical; mind= spiritual • Scientifically study body not mind • Hobbes- NO! Entire human experience comes from brain- even thoughts & feelings
Meanwhile… • German physiologists studied bodily sensations and our subjective awareness • How are bodily sensations turned into mental awareness? • Are our perceptions of the world accurate reflections or reality? • How do the mind and body interact?
Pioneer #1: Wilhelm Wundt discovering the laws of consciousness • Father of Psychology • Estd. first psychology laboratory in 1879 • “Color blue, sound of an E chord, Taste of smoked salmon, meaning of a sentence - all psychological” • Developed introspection. • Report on conscious, moment-to-moment rxns. • Psychological Contrasts & Psychic Relations • Love on the rebound • Draw an apple
Structuralism: Mental
Pioneer # 2: William James • Plagued by depression • Principles of Psychology, 1890 • Habit formation, Stream of consciousness, individuality, link btw. Body & mind, emotions, the ‘self’, • 1892: “Jimmy” • “Cash value” of an idea, not T vs. F • Functionalism • Darwin: natural selection; characteristics of species with survival advantage are ‘selected’--- consciousness must serve important purpose • “Lab is a waste of resources”
Functionalism Investigate purpose of consciousness, not structure Stream of consciousness Consciousness is a continuous flow of thoughts, not static Mental testing, development, education, individual differences Structuralism Analyze consciousness into basic elements Introspection Systematic, self-observation in response to tones, optical illusions, fruit… Sensation & Perception Structure vs. FunctionThe first great debate
Gestalt Psychology • The whole is greater than the sum of the parts • Structuralism = wrong! • Mind perceives world in organized fashion, can’t be broken down into elements • Phenomenological approach • Unstructured reporting of experience ***tspces***
Pioneer # 3: FreudWhat about the unconscious? • People are driven by UNconscious forces • Human mind is an iceberg • Clinical practice for patients with ailments with no physical basis • “cured” with hypnosis and talking • The Interpretation of Dreams, 1900. • Psychoanalysis- Freud’s theory of personality and method of psychotherapy,
Controversy strikes again: It’s not all in your head! A psychology of observable behavior?
Controversy strikes again: It’s not all in your head! • Can a science be based on introspective reports of a subjective experience or mental processes that supposedly reside inside the unconscious? • “Psychoanalysis is voodooism” • Psychology should be a purely objective, experimental branch of natural science • NOT the invisible and elusive mind
The Behaviorist AlternativeFrom mind-body to nature-nurture • John B. Watson defined psychology as study of behavior; mind is irrelevant • Vary a stimulus in environment, observe response • Behaviorism • Dominated from the 1920’s to the 1960’s • “Sensations, thoughts, feelings, and motivations may fuel speculation for the curious philosopher, but if it can’t be seen, it has no place in psychology”
Talk about controversy… • From ministry to philosophy to psychology • Learning in rats on mazes… • How young could they learn? • Dabbled in neurology… what about people? • “Crazed scientist, killer of rats, toasts and eats them” • Meets Mary Ickes, Intro PSY student • “Ode to John B. Watson” • ‘Robbing Psych’- No difference between rats and people • Interest in children… • Affair with research assistant Rosalie Raynor • On to advertising… impulse buys • “Made not born”
“Children should be awakened at 6:30 A.M. for orange juice and a pee. Play 'till 7:30. Breakfast should be at 7:30 sharp; at 8:00 they should be placed on the toilet for twenty minutes or less 'til bowel movement is complete. Then follow up with a verbal report. The child would then play indoors 'till 10AM, after 10:00 outside, a short nap after lunch, then "social play" with others. In the evening a bath, quiet play until bedtime at 8:00 sharp.”
The “Cognitive Revolution”But thought processes do influence outcomes • Behaviorism was too restrictive. • Studies of child development, animal behavior, brain studies, ‘self-actualization’, computers… • Thoughts, expectations, ‘soft stuff’ counts • Cognition • Mental processes such as thinking, knowing, and remembering
Which of the comparison lines is the same as the standard line? Asch, 1955
What did participants do? • 76% went along with the clearly incorrect majority at least once • In all, P’s conformed 37% of the time • However, 24% NEVER conformed
LIFE Questionnaire • What did you think? • Stream of consciousness • Frequency of behaviors • Social desirability? • Did you learn anything about yourself? • Was anything missing?
Think about: • History of psychology has tried to come up with the best ways of understanding people • What do you think are the best ways? • What do you think are interesting phenomena to study (mental activity, behavior)?
