Chapter 5 The Early Schools of American Psychology Flashcards

1
Q

what was one of the most prominent issues at the beginning of experimental psychology

A

the debate over “pure” science versus application –> “pure” is without any practical benefits (for knowledge’s sake), applied was sometimes seen as “tainted”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what was the difference between Wundt and Hall’s psychology

A

Wundt’s psychology had nothing to do with application, Hall’s promoted application (e.g. child study work)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

who was Titchener

A

got his doctorate from Wundt and was head of a psychology lab –> labelled structural psychology, or “structuralism” (which he supported), and “functionalism” (which he did not support)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what was “structuralism” to Titchener

A

its emphasis was on discovering the structure of consciousness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what did Watson write about Titchener’s work

A

opposed his psychology as mentalism –> thought that psychology should discard any reference to consciousness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

how did Titchener distinguish between mind and consciousness

A
  • mind = sum-total of mental processing occurring in the lifetime of an individual
  • consciousness = sum-total of mental processes occurring now
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what problem did Titchener believe psychology was facing (along with all other sciences)

A

seeking to answer “what”, “how” and “why”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what were the three aims of structuralism to Titchener

A
  • identifying structure of consciousness by identifying its elements
  • discovering how elements became grouped and arranged
  • determine the causes of the particular arrangement of elements (and why this arrangement)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what did Titchener believe were the three tasks of structuralism

A
  • analysis and synthesis –> produce a purely descriptive science
  • make connections between the elements of consciousness and the underlying physiological conditions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what word did Titchener use to sum up the scientific method

A

observation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

to Titchener, what were the two components of observation

A
  • attention to the phenomenon
  • making a record of the phenomenon
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what word did Titchener use for the method of psychology

A

introspection – “looking within”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what is another name of structuralisms

A

introspective psychology

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

describe how introspection as a method was carried out

A
  • participants asked to do a task (e.g. reading words)
  • mental processes allowed to run their course and then the observer would describe the events in as much detail as possible
  • observer can interrupt at any point to give an introspective report
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

describe how Titchener trained his introspectors

A
  • trained them to produce “introspective habit” –> allowed them to function automatically in making their inner observations without disrupting mental processes
  • allowed observers to avoid stimulus error (confusing what is observed with the basic elements of a stimulus)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is stimulus error

A

confusing what is observed (e.g. a book) with the basic elements of a stimulus (e.g. colour, shape)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is the synthetic method

A

procedure made by Titchener in which elements of the original introspective analysis were created synthetically to determine if the original experience could be reproduced –> a “validity check”

18
Q

what were Titchener’s three elements of consciousness

A

sensations, images and feelings –> focussed on sensations

19
Q

what were the four attributes of sensations (Titchener)

A
  • quality (cold, red, loud, salty)
  • intensity (brighter/dimmer, louder/softer)
  • clearness (distinct/indistinct, dominant/subordinate)
  • duration (time course of the sensation)

note: some could have additional attributes, some didn’t have all four (e.g. feelings don’t have clearness)

20
Q

Describe Titchener’s idea of a periodic table of psychology

A

identified thousands of distinctive visual sensations and separate auditory sensations

21
Q

What did Titchener publish

A

four volumes of “experimental psychology” –> laboratory manuals, two for qualitative experiments, two for quantitative (in each pair one was for teacher and one was for student)

22
Q

what was the name of Titchener’s organization

A

the experimentalists –> met once a year, only men were permitted, by invitation only

23
Q

describe how Titchener’s organization was transformed after his death

A

society of experimental psychologists –> could invite women

24
Q

who was Titchener’s first doctoral student

A

Margaret Washburn –> also first American woman to receive a PhD in psychology, thesis was published in Wundt’s journal, second president of APA

25
what were some of the topics that Margaret Washburn studied
- personal memory - interaction of emotion and memory - attention - wrote "The Animal Mind"
26
what is introspection by analogy
human observers of animal behaviour inferred the actions/motives of those animals by analogy to an awareness of their own mental processes --> Washburn wrote about this in her book
27
describe the school of functionalism
- was never a coherent school - never had a sole leader - definition of psychology was broad - diverse methods and subject matter - not as "focussed" as structuralism
28
what were some of the subjects of functionalism
- animal behaviour - clinical psychology - psychology of law - learning - intelligence testing
29
what was the main aim of functionalism
what is the utility of consciousness
30
what was the aim of functionalism in relation to Darwin's natural selection
- study of individual differences and their role in adaptation - understanding how consciousness enabled the organism to interact with and adapt to its environment
31
which three individuals were antecedents to the birth of functionalism
- William James - Stanley Hall (e.g. recapitulation theory) - James McKeen Cattell (e.g. mental testing)
32
describe the contribution of Dewey to the field of functionalism
his article on the reflex arc is typically seen as the official starting point to functional psychology --> argued the reflex should be viewed as a whole/circuit, and initiated the idea of top-up and bottom-down processing
33
describe Angell's contributions to functionalism
became chief spokesperson for functional psychology
34
what did Angell identify as the three conceptions that described functionalism
- functionalism studies mental operations not mental elements - functionalism seeks to identify the fundamental utilities for consciousness (how it helps organisms adapt) - functionalism is a psychophysical psychology (acknowledges significance of the mind-body relationship in the service of adaptation)
35
describe Woodworth's approach to psychology
he avoided the "extreme" positions in psychology and considered his approach a "middle-of-the-road" psychology --> took issue with structuralism and behaviourism, mostly wanted to examine "what leads people to feel and act as they do" (i.e. motivation)
36
describe Woodworth's S-O-R psychology
Stimulus-Organismic variables-Response --> organismic variables are the emotions, motives, personality traits, prejudices, ambitions, attitudes etc.
37
what did Woodworth introduce in his books
- popularized the terms of independent vs dependent variables - provided a definition of what an experiment was (only was to determine causality) - distinguished between experimental and correlational studies
38
describe some common methods used in functionalism
- introspection (experimental self-observation, not Titchener's introspection) - questionnaires - mental testing methods - intelligence tests - personality measures - animal subjects
39
what were some common topics in functionalism
sensation and perception, child development, intelligence, sex differences, motivation, abnormal behavior, animal behavior, personality (versus structuralists focus on sensation and perception) --> mainly study of learning (relates to adaptation and consciousness) --> later on clinical and forensic psychology
40
describe the legacy of functionalism
The functionalists were responsible for the growth of applied psychology, which so dismayed Titchener. They pioneered work in many areas such as child psychology; abnormal psychology; mental testing, including intelligence and personality testing; clinical psychology; industrial and organizational psychology; and other fields as well.