Foundations of Psychology Paper

Foundations of Psychology Paper

The School of Psychology

Of all the schools of psychology here is the most outstanding, as were the structuralism, the functionalism, the behaviorism, the Gestalt, the Psychoanalysis and school humanist, explained briefly, with its leading thinkers and collaborators and their characteristics highlights.

Structuralism

In the first decade of the twentieth century, Wundt and his pupil Tichtener discussed with a group of psychologists at the University of Wurzburg Austrian about the number of recent elements of mind and certain conditions of the scientific method of introspection.

They enact this study as an experimental science, which uses methods of philosophy.

The object of study of this school is the human mind, through introspection or self-observation controlled.

The mind or consciousness is not something substantial immediate, but a process. Simple and irreducible elements upon which rests all mental activity are: sensation, feeling and image.

The Wurzburg school distinguishes a fourth element: the attitudes or unconscious thought. This school also emphasizes the active nature of the mind, which regulates the flow of thought and directs the decision.

Functionalism

This school is based on accumulating knowledge for everyday use, and the study of the human mind in the middle atmosphere.

In this school it was said that education had no specific content had to be based on the needs of students.

Dewey founded the school psychology, as well as incorporating psychology Darwinism: the mind and behavior are functions adaptive, whereby the body performs purposes and individual survival of the species.

Atomistic rejected (as it divides mental activity and behavior in artificial units) and psychology content (is unable to recognize that the same sense has different meanings, depending on the behavioral context).

Makes the action or conduct the focus of psychology.

Like Darwin, James thought it contains consciousness is less important than what it does. The function of consciousness is primary to choose, always oriented towards an end, the first of which is survival through adaptation to environment. Principles James basic influencing subsequent psychology:

There will be no mental modification which is not accompanied or followed by a change body. Influenced the attitude basic behaviorism (we cannot see the mind, but only the body changes, so we study them only).

The nervous apparatus is but a machine for converting stimuli into reactions. Formulation assumes ER (stimulus-response), central to most behaviorists.

He distinguished between a memory primary, or short-term, and a permanent memory; anticipation of the psychology of information processing, which displaced behaviorism (Hayes, 2000).

Behaviorism

School based study of ...