Chapter 1 4/3/14 10:54 PM
Introspection: a systematic examination of subjective mental experiences
that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts –
William Wundt
Structuralism: an approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious
experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components –
William Wundt
Stream of consciousness: a phrase coined by William James to describe each
person’s continuous series of every-changing thoughts
Rejected structuralism
Functionalism: an approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive
purpose or function of mind and balance
Evolutionary theory: a theory presented by the naturalist Charles Darwin
Views the history of a species in terms of the inherited, adaptive
value of physical characteristics of mental active and behavior
Adaptations: in evolutionary theory, the physical characteristics, skills or
abilities that increase the chances of reproduction or survival and are
therefore likely to be passed along to future generations
Natural selection: in evolutionary theory, the idea that those who inherit
characteristics that help them adapt to their particular environments have a
selective advantage over those who do not.
Gestalt school was founded by Max Wertheimer
Against structuralism
The whole is different from the sum of its parts
How people see things differently
o Affects the study of vision
Mary Whiton Calkins- women who was refused doctorate from Harvard
Focused on the concept of self
Introspection: a systematic examination of subjective mental experiences
that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts –
William Wundt
Structuralism: an approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious
experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components –
William Wundt
Stream of consciousness: a phrase coined by William James to describe each
person’s continuous series of every-changing thoughts
Rejected structuralism
Functionalism: an approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive
purpose or function of mind and balance
Evolutionary theory: a theory presented by the naturalist Charles Darwin
Views the history of a species in terms of the inherited, adaptive
value of physical characteristics of mental active and behavior
Adaptations: in evolutionary theory, the physical characteristics, skills or
abilities that increase the chances of reproduction or survival and are
therefore likely to be passed along to future generations
Natural selection: in evolutionary theory, the idea that those who inherit
characteristics that help them adapt to their particular environments have a
selective advantage over those who do not.
Gestalt school was founded by Max Wertheimer
Against structuralism
The whole is different from the sum of its parts
How people see things differently
o Affects the study of vision
Mary Whiton Calkins- women who was refused doctorate from Harvard
Focused on the concept of self
