PSYC 4600 002 Lecture 5 Outline of Last Lecture I Rene Decartes 1596 1650 a Personal History b His work i Beginnings of modern science 1 Empiricism ii Contributions of Decartes 1 Mind Body problem iii The nature of the body iv The mind body interaction v Doctrine of Ideas II Philosophical foundations of the new psychology a Auguste Comte 1798 1857 i Positivism ii Materialism b British Empiricism i Empiricism definition ii Key Figures 1 John Locke a Sensations and Reflection b Simple Ideas and complex ideas c Theory of learning association d Primary and secondary qualities 2 George Berkeley 3 David Hartley 4 James Mill 5 John Stuart Mill Outline of Current Lecture I David Kinnebrook and his Mistake II Development in Early Psychology a Psych as experimental discipline b Research on Brain Function c Phrenology d Research on the Nervous System e The Mechanistic Spirit These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute III IV V The Beginning of Experimental Psychology a Parent Countries b Universities in England Helmholtz Webber Fechner a Hermann Von Helmholtz i Contributions to the New Psychology b Ernst Webber i Two Point Thresholds ii Just Noticeable Difference c Gustav Theodor Fechner i Mind and Body Quantitative Relationship ii Methods of psychophysics Formal Founding of Psychology Current Lecture o o o o o David Kinnebrook Makes a Mistake The Importance of the Human Observer David Kinnebrook Assistant to Rev Nevil Maskelyne the Royal Astronomer Worked at the Royal Observatory Greenwich England Noted time of Star movements Mistake Integral to the new science of psychology Observations were 5 of a second slower than his boss Errors increased to 8 of a second Was fired Errors in observations of stars 20 years later Bessel investigated Kinnebrook s errors Noticed personal equation 2 conclusions Astronomy affected by the human observer Human observer is important to all science Development in Early Psychology Psych as Experimental Discipline Flourished in 1830s Johannes Muller 1801 1858 Published a LOT Volumes translated into English ideas spread Nerve specific energies Research on Brain Function Mapping from the Inside Experimental methods to localize brain functions Extirpation Clinical Method Electrical Stimulation Phrenology a False start Belief the mental characteristics that correspond to bulges on the skull American Phrenology Journal lasted 70 years Mass assessments in what would look like a carnival show Sold books charts manuals and would assess your skull for a fee Franz Joseph Gall 1758 1828 Popularized by his students Wildly popular in US o Research on the Nervous System Luigi Galvani 1737 1798 Found that nerves are electrical work continued on by nephew Giovanni Aldini o used research and showmanship o obtained spasmodic movements from the muscles in the recently severed heads of criminal Ramon y Cajal 1852 1934 Discovered the direction of travel for nerve impulses o Ideas didn t catch on because he published in Spanish o The Mechanistic Spirit Physiology adopted ideas and methods from physics Connections British empiricists Sensation only source of knowledge Astronomer Bessel demonstrated impact of individual differences on sensation Time to quantify and experiment with the doorway to the mind o The subjective mentalistic experience of sensation Experimental psychology was ready to begin The Beginning of Experimental Psychology o Parent countries Germany the sciences developed in Western Europe in 19th century particularly in England France and Germany the German approach to science o defined science broadly included phonetics linguistics history o Emphasis on careful thorough collection of operable facts faith in taxonomic description o Plunged ahead unconstrained using tools of science to explore and measure all facets of mental life o Wissenschaf Reform in German Universities o Academic freedom Professors could teach what they want No outside interference Research whatever they want Fixed curriculum Students free to take whatever they want o o o o o inquiry US o Universities in England Oxford and Cambridge Neither could facilitate or support science based research Cambridge vetoed the request to teach experimental psychology Views as an insult to religion Helmholtz Webber Fechner o Hermann Von Helmholtz 1821 1894 One of the greatest scientists of the 19th century Prolific researcher in physics and physiology Instrumental contributor to psychology s beginnings Emphasized mechanism and determinism Believed that human sense organs functioned like machines Life Born in Potsdam Germany Father was a teacher at a junior college prep school Helmholtz had very poor health o Homeschooled o Enrolled in a Berlin medical institute No charge if you agreed to be an army surgeon afer graduating Served for 7 years Continued his studies during this time and published papers Indestructability of energy Accepted a position as associated professor of physiology at the University of Konigsberg o Held academic positions in physics and physiology o Researched physiological optics Invents the ophthalmoscope Examine the retinas o Achieved world recognition by the age of 30 o Published research on Acoustical tones Afer images Color blindness Human eye movements Formation of glaciers Hay fever Geometrical axioms o Contributed to the development of the radio More Resources More research Lots of universities Could make a living as a research scientist in Germany This was the ideal environment to flourish scientific Death o o o o o o Fall 1893 Visited America to see the Chicago World s Fair Suffered a stroke Became delirious and was semi conscious Rambled endlessly Could not differentiate dreams and reality Contributions to the New Psychology Investigated the speed of the neural impulse Research on vision and hearing Reaction time in human o Didn t pursue but others did o When he discovered differences in individuals and based on trials he abandoned the research Commitment to application to scientific ideas influenced later functionalists Interested in measurement itself not so much with its impact for psychology Ernst Webster 1795 1878 Born in Wittenberg Germany Earned his doctorate at the University of Leipzig Taught psychology and anatomy from 1817 to 1871 Afer his retirement he worked with his brother Eduard on nerve stimulation and muscle suppression Would be a big influence on Gustav