The Conceptual Foundations Of Psychology - 2268 Words

All sciences originally descended from philosophy and over the centuries the special sciences gradually became independent of this discipline, with Psychology being one of the last of the special sciences to separate from the parent during the 19th century (Banyard, Davies, Normal Winder, 2010). The questions and ideas in Psychology have been of interest since the time of the ancient Greeks, where philosophers inquired into how human beings know the world. Plato asked questions about human motivation (â€Å"Why do we act as we do?†) and Aristotle attempted to structure the human soul according to the five senses, imagination, common sense and memory (Leahey, 2004), which loosely reflect the study of perception and cognition in present day psychology. Although the conceptual foundations of psychology are to be found in philosophy, the inspiration for the creation of an independent science of psychology came from biology. The founders of psychology took a path to the mind throu gh physiology, while a bigger influence came from a younger branch of biology- evolution- which through a shift in focus from the contents of the mind to the function of the mind, eventually gave rise to the different fields existing in psychology today such as psychobiology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology and more recently evolutionary psychology. Although psychologists have traditionally revered William Wundt as the founder of psychology, the historical reality is more complex.Show MoreRelatedIs Conceptual Critiques Relevant for Psychology?1472 Words   |  6 PagesWe shall consider Skinner’s Operant Conditioning theory as another type of example on Conceptual Critiques (Skinner, 1963). His theory states that the best way to understand a behavior is to look at the association made between the behavior and the consequence of that behavior. Although Skinner’s primary interest was in human behavior, most of his research was done on animals using laboratory apparatus well known as the Skinner box. Hence, in his experiment, Skinner placed rats in the Skinner boxRead MoreConceptual And Historical Issues Of Psychology1420 Words   |  6 PagesCONCEPTUAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY Abstract The often asked question is the relationship between the theories of psychology and its application to human life for instance, individual life, mental life and subjectivity. Presently, efforts by writers to separate the three categories have seen light. Psychology itself cannot exist without a society which supports all its facts. 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Despite t his ambiguityRead MoreA School Based Functional Behavioral Assessments890 Words   |  4 Pagesschool setting in a concise way. It was not difficult to understand and was thorough. For example, the chapter titles were interesting, which lures the reader to it. There was a chapter titled â€Å"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Conceptual Foundations of FBA†¦ but Were Afraid to Ask†. It draws the reader in and proceeds to explain FBA’s starting from the basics of antecedents and consequences to real life examples and how to apply what the chapter spoke about. The book also does notRead MoreProblem Statement For African American Youth1355 Words   |  6 Pagesperspective of African Cosmology. ‘African cosmology’ thus provides the conceptual philosophical framework for African (Black) psychology† (Baldwin, 1980, p. 23; Jamison Carroll, 2014, p.99). 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The foundation of the process establishes a relationship anchored in trust, respect, communication, and conviction between both parties. The client may not be open to accepting what the coach has to offer or the client may have unrealistic