Chapter 6: The Birth of the New Applied Psychology in America Flashcards
Why was Hollingworth’s research on caffeine useful (four reasons)
- background: conducted 3 major studies on Coca Cola and showed few harmful effects from caffeine in humans
- excellent use of scientific methodology
- one of earliest studies of psychopharmacology in humans
- first research undertaken by a psychologist for a major corporation
- one of earliest examples of a psychologist testifying as an expert witness in a trial (i.e. forensic psychology)
who was involved in answering the question about whether applied scientific psychology was useful outside the laboratory
Titchener –> said he stood for pure science without regard to utility, criticized applied use of psychology
what did people argue about the starting point of applied psychology
- some said applied psychology emerged after WWI, but this wasn’t true
- Hall’s work on child study movement was earliest example
- shortly after this, psychological scientists started “selling” their product to the general public
describe the work on psychological abnormality in early 20th c. psychology
- not uppermost in mind of early experimental psychologists
- most interested in understanding the normal mind, rather than the “diseased” mind –> these people would not be able to introspect
- psychological abnormality was already in domain of psychiatry and neurology (e.g. mental asylum movement led by psychiatrist)
what led to increased focus on psychological abnormality in the field of psychology
- cities grew and families were packed into more densely populated areas
- home care of “mentally disturbed” families became more of a problem
- people in community felt threatened by these individuals
- in asylums, used moral therapy
- as numbers increased, moral therapy became less feasible
what is moral therapy
combination of occupational therapy, exercise, religious training, recreation, personal hygiene and participation in activities (e.g. gardening, music, etc.) –> this is how mental asylums decided to deal with most psychological cases and mental illnesses
who was Lightner Witmer
- re-opened psychology lab at Penn after returning from Leipzig
- first case was with a boy who had difficulty spelling –> believed memory might play a role and psychology could treat this
- founded the first psychological clinic in the world –> brought up its success to the APA and hoped his field would establish training programs for people to treat difficult cases
- named the field “clinical psychology”
describe the nature of Witmer’s psychological clinic
- initially saw all cases himself
- most were children brought in for learning disabilities or behavioural disorders
- founded new journal called the psychological clinic –> detailed cases and diagnoses in case others wanted to open a similar clinic
describe Witmer’s “clinical method”
- created specialized graduate program curriculum to prepare students for this practical work
- team approach employing a physician and social worker
- tested patient, rendered diagnosis, designing/conducting treatment
what were some of the tests done on children in Witmer’s clinical method
- referred to clinic through school system
- undergo anthropometric, optometric and psychometric examination
- e.g. tests of memory, visual discrimination, etc.
why was a physician involved in Witmer’s clinical method
to rule out any kind of medical problem (e.g. ensuring normal vision and hearing, muscle movement, etc.)
what were the most common diagnoses that came from Witmer’s clinical method
- educational handicap (e.g. learning disability or intellectual disability i.e. “feeblemindedness”) and disorders of conduct
- “mentally or morally retarded children”
- shifted to emphasis on intellectual giftedness
what were some of the specialty clinics added to Witmer’s clinical program
- diagnosis and correction of speech defects
- vocational guidance
- counselling for university students
describe experimental psychology’s initial venture into the business world
- initially was through the field of advertising
- advertising was crucial with addition of telegraphs, magazines, railroads, and other new technologies
- businesses wanted proof advertising was effective –> wanted expertise to help understand the motives, desires and behaviour of consumers
who was Walter Scott
- earned doctorate with Wundt
- founder of industrial/organizational psychology
- wrote articles on the psychology of advertising (even though had no expertise in this field)
- wrote about suggestion, perception, illusions, mental imagery, and value of return coupon
- used knowledge on perception, motivation, etc. to apply to advertising
