UNIT 3 - PSYCHOLOGY IN OTHER PART OF THE WORLD Flashcards
Did Psychology exist in ancient times?
Psychology was not created it always existed. humans have always pondered over mental phenomena like dreams, emotions etc. Without labeling it.
Early influencers of psychology
While often attributed to Western thinkers like Plato, psychological thought arose in various cultures.
India (Buddha),
China (Confucius),
and even Ancient Egypt (Edwin Smith Papyrus)
What is Animism & Anthropomorphism
Early explanations often involved animism (attributing life to inanimate objects) anthropomorphism (projecting human qualities onto nature).
Name 3 Greek Philosophers influencers
Socrates: Emphasized subjective truth and self-examination.
Plato: Believed in innate ideas and introspection.
Aristotle: Focused on observing nature to understand concepts, explored memory, recall, imagination, and dreams.
Renaissance influencers
Copernicus,
Galileo,
Newton
challenged old views.
shift away from purely religious explanations
Focus on Scientific discoveries
Debates arose about the source of knowledge
Empiricism vs. Rationalism
School of thought: Empiricism
Mind as a “blank slate” filled by experience.
Influencers of Rationalism and their view
Plato
Descartes-french
Rationalists argue that certain concepts are so fundamental and universally understood that they must be innate. They suggest that these ideas are part of our inherent nature as human beings.
Importance of reason.
Influencers of Empiricism and their view
John Locke,
James Mill
“Tabula Rasa” The mind is a blank slate and shaped by the sensory experience we receive through the environment.
Physiology’s Influence: 19th-century
Psychology as a Science: The 19th century laid the groundwork for psychology to emerge as a distinct scientific discipline, studying mental processes and behavior through observation and experimentation.
key figures 19th century : Sechenov & Pavlov
Reflexes and behaviorism.
key figures 19th century: Hobbes
Materialism (everything is physical)
key figures 19th century: Bain
Associationism (combining simple ideas into complex ones)
key figures 19th century: Bell & Magendie
Sensory and motor nerves.
key figures 19th century: Müller
Specific nerve energies.
key figures 19th century: Broca & Wernicke
Brain areas for speech.
key figures 19th century: Weber & Fechner
Quantifying sensation and stimulus.
Associationism
The theory that the mind is composed of elements referred to sensations and ideas which are organised through various associations
The law of associationism includes:
continuity - events that occur close together are linked in the mind
frequency - the more 2 things or events are linked the more powerful the association is between them
similarity - if 2 things are similar the thought of the one will trigger the thought of the other
contrast - seeing or recalling will trigger the recollection of something opposite
