Select three individuals whose work contributed to the foundation of psychology
Select three individuals whose work contributed to the foundation of psychology and examine some of the foundational ideas within the field of psychology.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
Competency 2: Analyze the major events, schools of thought, and cultural influences that have affected the development of psychology as a discipline and science.
Explain the theories of three individuals who contributed to the field of psychology.
Describe how each of the theories and ideas contributed and shaped the field of modern psychology.
Competency 3: Analyze how theory and knowledge from scholarly literature in the study of history and systems informs professional behavior and guides social thinking.
Evaluate the selected theories or ideas on how they created an unresolved issue to be addressed by modern psychology.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional.
Use APA format and style.
Competency Map
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Context
This assessment looks back at the thinkers and thought that form the foundation of Western psychology, beginning in ancient Middle Eastern and western European history. There, people not so very different from us wondered where thoughts and emotions—those ephemeral and insubstantial things—come from. Their answer: the gods. This belief sufficed until sixth century B.C., when individuals in several places across the globe—the Buddha in India, Confucius in China, and the Greeks—emerged with radically new ideas and a conception of mind, as well as core questions that would become the center of psychology.
In this assessment, you have the opportunity to consider more deeply the contributions of three thinkers who helped form the foundation of psychology as we know it. Through research and writing, you will evaluate the foundational thought of the field.
The Assessment 1 Context document contains important information about the following topics:
The Greeks.
The Christian thinkers.
The Rationalists and new groups.
The 1700s to 1900s.
Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.
What were the central themes in the work of the following philosophers and protopsychologists: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, and Hume?
What kinds of questions did the rationalists ask? What kinds of questions did the empiricists ask?
What did William James mean by his term “cash value?”
Resources
Suggested Resources
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Capella Resources
Click the links provided to view the following resources:
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
Benjamin, L. T. (2006). Hugo Munsterbert’s attack on the application of scientific psychology. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(2), 414–425.
Myers, G. E. (1993). William James and contemporary psychology. In M. E. Donnelly (Ed.), Reinterpreting the legacy of William James (pp. 49–64). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Titchener, E. B. (1921). Wilhelm Wundt. The American Journal of Psychology, 32(2), 161–178.
Wong, W. (2009). Retracing the footsteps of Wilhelm Wundt: Explorations in the disciplinary frontiers of psychology and in Volkerpsychologie, 12(4), 229–265.
Course Library Guide
A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the PSYC-FP4100 – History and Modern Systems of Psychology Library Guide to help direct your research.
Bookstore Resources
The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.
Benjamin, L. T. (2014). A Brief History of Modern Psychology (2nd ed.) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Preface.
Chapter 1: “Pre-Scientific Psychology,” pages 1–19.
Chapter 2: “Physiology, Psychophysics, and the Science of the Mind,” pages 20–37.
Chapter 3: “Germany and the Birth of a New Science,” pages 38–57.
Chapter 4: “Origins of Scientific Psychology in America,” pages 58–76
Chapter 5: “The Early Schools of American Psychology,” pages 78–96.
Assessment Instructions
As a professional in the psychology field, you should always pursue and nurture professional growth and development. You should search out ways to gain knowledge as well as ways to share knowledge. One way that allows you to accomplish both is by serving as a speaker at professional and academic conferences. In this assignment, you have been invited to speak at a psychological science symposium.
The symposium organizers have asked you to prepare a session that fits the theme of “Foundational Thought.” Here are the points for you to address:
Prior to the establishment of psychology as a recognized social science, many thinkers and scholars examined the very questions and ideas that would serve as the foundation of the field. Which three individuals would you select as having major contributions to the foundation of psychology? How have these individuals’ scholarly work contributed and influenced the modern field of psychology? What are unresolved issues that modern psychology needs to address?
Based on your research, create a presentation that meets the symposium session requirements. Use these steps as a guide to develop your presentation:
Select three theorists whose work had major contributions to the foundation of psychology. Explain their theories and be sure to paraphrase (put in your own words) each theory or idea and cite your sources.
Describe how each of the theories and ideas you noted contributed to and shaped the field of modern psychology.
Finally, identify a fundamental problem with each of the individuals’ particular theories. Employ critical thinking to evaluate how these theories or ideas created an unresolved issue that needed to be addressed by modern psychology.
Your presentation should use appropriate design principles.
In the speaker notes area, add the explanation of what you would say to your audience. The notes should be complete and written in a way that clearly addresses the points called out in the session description. Insert your citations and references in the notes area as well.
Additional Requirements
Your presentation should be between 12–15 slides.
Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Ensure that references and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
Locate at least one scholarly article for each theorist selected.
Answer preview to Select three individuals whose work contributed to the foundation of psychology
15 slides