Unit 1-History and Approaches

College Board Standards for Unit 1

Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.

• Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:

— Structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years; Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later; — Evolutionary, biological, and cognitive as more contemporary approaches.

• Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.

• Distinguish the different domains of psychology:

— Biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational, experimental, human factors, industrial–organizational, personality, psychometric, and social.

• Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins, Charles Darwin, Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F. Skinner, Margaret Floyd Washburn, John B. Watson, and Wilhelm Wundt).

Unit Study Guide Based on APA National Standards

Use these standards as a checklist to make sure you've mastered this unit.

• Development of psychology as an empirical science.
  • 1.1 Define psychology as a discipline and identify its goals as a science.
  • 1.2 Describe the emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline.
  • 1.3 Describe perspectives employed to understand behavior and mental processes.
  • 1.4 Explain how psychology evolved as a scientific discipline.
• Major subfields within psychology.
  • 2.1 Discuss the value of both basic and applied psychological research with human and non-human animals.
  • 2.2 Describe the major subfields of psychology.
  • 2.3 Identify the important role psychology plays in benefiting society and improving people’s lives.