The document summarizes the history of psychology from ancient Greece to the 18th century. It discusses the ideas of major figures like Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, and Rousseau. Key concepts discussed include the rationalist vs empiricist debate on the origins of knowledge, mind-body dualism proposed by Descartes, Locke's tabula rasa theory of the mind, and Rousseau's view of human nature as noble rather than inherently sinful. The document traces how these philosophical ideas influenced the early development of psychology as a field.

2. Center for the History of Psychology
Museum of Psychology showcases and interprets
documents, media, and artifacts from the Center’s vast
special collections. The larger portion of the CHP is the
archives.

3. Originally established in 1965 by Drs. John Popplestone and Marion White
McPherson. (Called Archives of the History of American Psychology until
2010)
Popplestone said the field would never amount to anything without a central
archive. McPherson responded “That’s the best idea you’ve had in quite a
while.”
Mission: promote the history of psychology and related human sciences to
the broadest community possible.

4. Phrenology Head
Used to test “personality” in late 1800s, early 1900s
Museum displays many artifacts and tools.

5. Phrenology Head
Notice in an actual head, they are bumps b/c the
prominence of the bump on the head is what signifies
the characteristic.

6. Psychograph
Used to measure the bumps on the skull and give an
“accurate” personality diagnosis.

7. Popular machine, then novelty machine in later years

8. Bobo Doll
Groundbreaking study revealing that aggression begets
more aggression. Previous theory thought that watching
someone be aggressive would drain the aggression out
of you.

9. Skinner box

10. Barnabus (the rat) study box
Notice the multiple layers within the box
The rat starts at the bottom, releasing various
obstacles, then ending at top, where he took an elevator
down

11. Barnabus was very famous for “backward chaining”
Learning the last behavior first, then building on them.
This is how complex behaviors are trained in animals.

12. Skinner “Air crib”
Climate controlled environment for infants. Meant to
make parenting easier by dispensing with the worries of
temperature, germs, and laundry. Skinner’s second
daughter spent first 2 years here.

13. Mass marketed…
…Not a big seller.

14. Obedience to Authority Shock Box
Looks like a genuine machine that produces shocks.

15. Imagine pushing these levers

16. Magneto Electric Machine (1854)
Used to deliver shocks to patients to treat mental illness.

17. DSMs
How we diagnosis mental illness.

18. Notice how small the first two are compared to
the rest—in three we introduced the idea of a list
of criteria that could be met for a diagnosis

19. I’m looking for some participants….Who wants to join?

20. Stanford Prison Study
We all learned that human nature sucks.

21. SO, WHY WAS THIS SLIDESHOW COOL?

22. Why Study History?
1. Perspective
2. Deeper understanding
3. Recognition of fads and fashions
4. Avoiding repetition of mistakes
5. A source of valuable ideas
6. Curiosity
(Hergenhahn, 2001)

23. Way back…..
Ancient Greeks
Socrates
Rationalist
Knowledge is in-born

24. Guiding Principles to understanding
how philosophy connects to
psychology
• What separates the
Rationalists, Empiricists, and Romantics?
• How do these ideas return when psychology
as a discipline is developed?

25. Way back…
Plato-sensations are only shadows (Rationalist)
Nature/Nurture debate (that’s right its this old)
Tripartate Soul explains humanity
1. Appetitive (desire for pleasure)-abdomen
2. Courageous (spirit/emotions)-heart/chest
3. Rational (moral principles)-brain
Conflict between these states of the soul
Measure your body area to determine your talents

26. Way back….
Aristotle--Inductive reasoning
– Observe phenomenon, then make theories
– Also belief that knowledge came from experiences
(empiricist)
Theory of Memory
Objects, events, and people are linked in memory
through similarity, contrast, and contiguity (happening
at the same time
Frequency and Ease of memory associations

27. Way back…
Aristotle
Theory of Catharsis
Emotional/Psychological response to
drama
Seat of consciousness
Wrote “De anima” On the Mind = ancient father
of psychology

28. Fast Forward-17th century
Century of the “scientist”
• No concept of “scientist” at beginning so
science and philosophy were entirely linked at
beginning, but not at end
– Galileo Galilei (earth circles the sun)
– Blaise Pascal (computing, mathematics, adding
machine—Steve Jobs of his time)
– Isaac Newton (apples falling)
– Rene Decartes (Mind-Body interaction)

29. Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
• Wealthy rebel
• Rationalist
• Contributions
– Mind-Body Interaction
– First physiological psychologist
– Concept of stimulus-response
– Brain at center of mind (not heart)

30. “I think, therefore I am”
• Body (material) vs. Mind (nonmaterial)
• Mind-Body Interactionism
Step 1: difference between reflexes and
directive behavior
Reflexes do not include “mind”
Directive behavior does

31. How the nerves are designed

32. Mind-Body connection

33. Memories

34. What was right?
• Nerves are the message system of the body
– Electrical impulses and chemicals, not filaments
and animal spirits
• Stimulus-response model
• Speed of memory increases with experience

35. Empiricism (17th century-19th century)
• Knowledge through experience
• Social ramifications
• Famous empiricists:
– Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
– John Locke (1632-1704)
– David Hume (1711-1776)
– John Mill (1773-1836)
– John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

36. John Locke
• He was the first to attack “innate ideas”
• “Blank slate”
• Simple and complex ideas
• Humans are motivated by search for pleasure
and avoidance of pain
• Education was important b/c nurture was
more important than nature

37. John Stuart Mill
• Product of empiricism
• Struggle is to understand “the mind”
1. Every sensation forms an idea which is a weaker
form of sensation
2. Similar ideas excite one another
3. Law of contiguity (associations)
4. More vivid the experience, the stronger the
association
5. More frequent the association, the stronger it is
• Disagreed with father: ideas combine to form
something new, can’t always be broken down

38. Methodology of Science
• Natural Laws
• Primary vs. Secondary Laws
• “Inexact” sciences
• Human nature vs. ethology

39. Jean-Jacques Rosseau (1712-1778)
• Romanticism
• Personal life = society sucks
• Reaction to Hobbes view of human nature
– Noble savage
– No original sin
• Private will vs. General will
• Education