The Earliest Psychologists

Question 1

Plato

Answer 1

(428–347 BC)

Plato argued on the nature side, believing that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn

Question 2

Aristotle

Answer 2

(384–322 BC)
was more on the nurture side, believing that each child is born as an “empty slate” (in Latin a tabula rasa) and that knowledge is primarily acquired through sensory learning and experiences.

Question 3

René Descartes

Answer 3

influenced the belief that the mind (the mental aspects of life) and body (the physical aspects of life) were separate entities. He argued that the mind controls the body through the pineal gland in the brain (an idea that made some sense at the time but was later proved incorrect). This relationship between the mind and body is known as the mind-body dualism. Descartes also believed in the existence of innate natural abilities (nature).

Question 4

The earliest psychologists were the _________ philosophers.

Answer 4

Greek

Question 5

John Locke

Answer 5

(1632–1704)
is known for his viewpoint of empiricism, the belief that the newborn’s mind is a “blank slate” and that the accumulation of experiences mold the person into who he or she becomes.

Question 6

mind-body dualism

Answer 6

the mind is fundamentally different from the mechanical body, so much so that we have free will to choose the behaviors that we engage in.