PSY310 History and Systems of Psychology

Psychology in Historical Perspective: Early Developments

• Examine the roots in early philosophy that lead to modern psychology.
• Identify major philosophers in the western tradition that were primary contributors to the formation of psychology as a discipline.
• Explore the development of the science of psychology during the 19th century.

The Mind/Body Relationships of Psychology

• Examine the historical elements of the study of the physical body and brain in antiquity.
• Describe major developments in medicine and biological studies that contributed to the early field of psychology.
• Identify major historical steps toward the mapping of brain structures that are associated with behavioral processes.

Mental Illness, Mental Health, and Mental Function in the 18th and 19th Centuries

• Identify historical explanations for abnormal behavior and mental illness.
• Identify links between early theories of mental functioning in philosophy and early concepts of mental illness.
• Define the links between the physical body and mental illness from antiquity to the 20th century.

The Formation of Psychology as a Discipline 1850-1950

• Examine the role of evolution theory and naturalist science in the development of psychology in the 19th century.
• Explore the relationship between the practice of medicine and the development of clinical applications of psychology.
• Identify the role of individual differences in the development of psychology and the contributions of Francis Galton.
• Describe the development of psychology experimental laboratories in Europe and the United States.

Psychoanalytic Schools of Psychology

• Examine the development and growth of the psychoanalytic tradition in psychology.
• Identify the major theoretical contributors to psychoanalytic schools of psychology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Define what is meant by psychoanalytic models for psychology and how these are used to explain human behavior.

The Development of Psychology in America

• Identify major contributors to American psychology in the late 19th century.
• Examine the differences in American and European psychology at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Explore the influences that impacted the development of American Behaviorism in the early 20th century.
• Identify early theorists of the structuralist and functionalist schools of psychology. 

Logical Positivism and American Behaviorism in Psychology

• Identify the major contributors to Behaviorism in American psychology.
• Distinguish between Classical Conditioning and Instrumental Learning in the early American Schools of Psychology.
• Examine the development of Operant Behaviorism during the 20th century.

Early Developments in the Cognitive Psychology Paradigm

• Identify major points of change from the behavioral to the cognitive paradigm in academic psychology.
• Explore early research on memory and the development of this line of research into modern cognitive-based models.
• Examine major tenets of the Cognitive Psychology Model in relationship to modern psychology research.

The Developing BioPsychoSocial Model of Psychology

• Identify the central issues of biological psychology pertaining to human development and psychological function.
• Examine the role of social psychology in the BioPsychoSocial Model.
• Explain the interrelationship between biological foundations, individual psychological characteristics, and social psychological phenomena.

Effects of Developing Technology on Psychology Research and Practice

• Examine the changes in technology over the 20th century that impacted psychology as it has developed to the present.
• Identify major technologies that have contributed to advancements in the understanding of brain and behavior relationships.
• Examine the role of computers in advancing psychology research.