Four early psychologists suddenly appear in your psychology department. who would be most discouraged to hear that modern psychology places a lot of emphasis on the study of mental processes?
Question: Four early psychologists suddenly appear in your psychology department. who would be most discouraged to hear that modern psychology places a lot of emphasis on the study of mental processes?
Imagine that you are a psychology professor and one day, you find four early psychologists in your office. They have somehow traveled through time and space to visit you and learn about the current state of psychology. How would you explain to them what psychology is today and how it has changed since their time? Who among them would be most discouraged to hear that modern psychology places a lot of emphasis on the study of mental processes?
The four psychologists are:
- Wilhelm Wundt, the founder of experimental psychology and the first person to establish a psychology laboratory. He was interested in studying the basic elements of consciousness and how they combine to form complex mental experiences. He used a method called introspection, which involved asking trained observers to report their sensations and feelings in response to stimuli.
- Edward Thorndike, one of the pioneers of behaviorism and learning theory. He conducted experiments on animal behavior and formulated the law of effect, which states that behaviors that are followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.
- Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis and the most influential figure in the history of psychology. He proposed that human behavior and personality are largely determined by unconscious forces and conflicts. He developed techniques such as free association and dream analysis to uncover the hidden meanings of the mind.
- Jean Piaget, the most prominent developmental psychologist and the creator of the theory of cognitive development. He studied how children acquire knowledge and understanding of the world through their interactions with objects and people. He identified four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
You would probably start by telling them that psychology is still the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, but that it has expanded its scope and methods over the years. You would explain that psychology is now a diverse and interdisciplinary field that encompasses many subfields, such as cognitive, social, clinical, developmental, personality, biological, industrial-organizational, and more. You would also mention that psychology uses various research methods, such as experiments, surveys, observations, case studies, interviews, brain imaging, and more.
You would then ask them what they think about the study of mental processes, such as perception, memory, thinking, language, problem-solving, decision-making, and emotion. You would tell them that this is one of the major areas of research in modern psychology and that it is often referred to as cognitive psychology. You would explain that cognitive psychology is based on the assumption that mental processes can be measured and analyzed scientifically using objective methods.
Who among the four psychologists would be most discouraged by this information? The answer is likely Sigmund Freud. Freud was very skeptical about the possibility of studying mental processes objectively and scientifically. He believed that mental processes are largely inaccessible to conscious awareness and that they are influenced by irrational and unconscious forces. He also criticized experimental psychology for being too artificial and superficial. He would probably argue that cognitive psychology ignores the deeper and darker aspects of human nature and that it fails to capture the complexity and uniqueness of each individual.
The other three psychologists might have different reactions to cognitive psychology. Wundt might be intrigued by the advances in measuring mental processes using sophisticated instruments and techniques. He might also be interested in how cognitive psychology incorporates elements of his structuralist approach, such as breaking down complex mental phenomena into simpler components. Thorndike might be impressed by the evidence for learning and memory processes in humans and animals. He might also be curious about how cognitive psychology applies his law of effect to explain motivation and reinforcement. Piaget might be pleased by the recognition of cognitive development as a crucial aspect of human psychology. He might also be eager to compare his theory with other theories and findings in cognitive psychology.
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