Emergence of Psychology as a science

• What was psychology originally seen as


  experimental philosophy in 17th - early 19th century
• Who were the first philosophers to consider psychological questions and what were their ideas

  several philosophers asked questions about human behaviour:

  - Rene Descartes - Cartesian Dualism

  - John Locke - Empiricism (all knowledge learnt through experience)

  - Charles Darwin - Evolution
• What made psychology become seen as a scientific discipline


  In 1879 Wilhelm Wundt open first psychological lab in Leipzig, Germany to study the mind using introspection
• When and who was the Psychodynamic approach established

  Freud in 1900s established the approach which emphasised the importance of the unconscious mind and conflicts that arise in childhood
• Who established the behaviourist approach and when


  1913: John B Watson and Skinner established the approach which emphasises the role of reinforcement in learning
• What two approaches dominate psychology 1910-1960


  The behaviourist and psychodynamic approach for 50 yrs
• Who established the humanist approach and when

  1950s: Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow the approach emphasises importance of free will
• What invention led to a revolution in how psychologists think about the mind


  1960s: cognitive revolution comes with the invention of computers which provides the analogy of the human mind working like a computer
• What is the key principle of the cognitive approach


  the importance of studying internal mental processes in a scientific way
• What led to the establishment of the biological approach and when


  1980s: established as the dominant approach due to technological advances allowing us to directly study the brain