Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T10:18:25.368Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Introduction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2020

David A. Ellis
Affiliation:
Information, Decisions and Operations, School of Management University of Bath
Get access

Summary

The history of psychological science appears short when placed alongside physics, chemistry and biology. Nevertheless, the field has consistently evolved in response to new challenges. For example, one of the crucial features of scientific psychology in the twentieth century was grounding itself in objectivity. By changing the subject to the study of behaviour, psychology could be based on scientific laws of behaviour. In contrast, introspection relied exclusively on an observation of one’s mental state. Behaviourism initially helped psychologists better understand learning and behavioural change, but motivations and other mediational processes (e.g., thinking) remained hidden because they were not directly observable (Skinner, 1971). Despite academics arguing that the scientific assessment of behaviour can be yoked to cognition and emotion, behaviourism was never universally accepted, especially in Europe or Canada, because it could only provide a partial account of what it means to be human (Baddeley, 2018; Watson, 1913).

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Useful Resources and Further Reading

Baddeley, A (2018). Working Memories: Postmen, Divers and the Cognitive Revolution. Routledge.Google Scholar
Schmidt, E, & Cohen, J (2013). The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business. Hachette UK.Google Scholar
Uttal, W. R. (2001). The New Phrenology: The Limits of Localizing Cognitive Processes in the Brain. The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Thompson, T, Felce, D, & Symons, F. J. (2000). Behavioural Observation: Technology and Applications in Developmental Disabilities. Brookes.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Introduction
  • David A. Ellis
  • Book: Smartphones within Psychological Science
  • Online publication: 11 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108671408.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Introduction
  • David A. Ellis
  • Book: Smartphones within Psychological Science
  • Online publication: 11 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108671408.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Introduction
  • David A. Ellis
  • Book: Smartphones within Psychological Science
  • Online publication: 11 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108671408.002
Available formats
×