This document outlines the key founders and theories of major schools of thought in psychology, including structuralism founded by William Wundt who studied sensations to understand consciousness, functionalism founded by William James who focused on the relationship between experience and behavior, behaviorism founded by John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner who believed psychology should be objective and measurable, gestalt psychology founded by Wertheimer, Koffka, and Kohler which viewed perceptions as more than the sum of their parts, and psychoanalysis founded by Sigmund Freud who emphasized the influence of unconscious motives and childhood experiences on behavior.

1. 1. William Wundt
• Founder of
Structuralism and the
first psych lab
• studied sensations to
understand
consciousness

2. 2. William James
• Founder of
Functionalism
• focused on
relationship between
experience and
behavior
• wrote first psych
textbook, The
Principles of
Psychology

3. 3. John B. Watson
• Founded Behaviorism
• believed psychology
was limited to
observable,
measurable events

4. 4. B.F. Skinner
• Introduced the
concept of
reinforcement
• proved that if an
animal is rewarded, it
is more likely to
repeat an action

5. 5. Wertheimer, Koffka, Kohler
• Founded Gestalt
psychology
• based on the idea
that perceptions are
more than the sum
of their parts
• learning is
accomplished
through insight
rather than
repetition

6. 6. Sigmund Freud
• Founded
Psychoanalysis
• emphasized how
unconscious motives
and internal conflicts
influence behavior
• believed childhood
shapes adult life

7. 6. Sigmund Freud
• Founded
Psychoanalysis
• emphasized how
unconscious motives
and internal conflicts
influence behavior
• believed childhood
shapes adult life