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“Psychology is the study of mental functions and behaviors. It encompasses research into things such as learning, perception, problem solving, emotions (affect), intelligence, thinking and language.” Psychology has been around since the 1800s but it was not until recently that it became a science. This blog post will discuss what psychology is and how we have come to know more about its development over time. The first mention of psychology was in the early 1800s when philosopher Wilhelm Wundt used an introspective method to study mental processes. He developed theories about how all aspects of human nature are composed, but he did not publish his work until 1874-1875 after being asked by physiologists and educators for advice on which methods were best suited to their disciplines. It wasn’t long before other psychologists began adopting this new science with a series of studies conducted by various individuals such as Hermann Ebbinghaus who studied memory development; Sigmund Freud who explored concepts like sexuality and dreams; Ivan Pavlov’s research into conditioned reflexes; Edward Thorndike’s experiments involving learning principles that would become known as “Thorndike’s law of effect”; and Clark Hull who studied how various factors contributed to intelligence. Eventually, in 1911 the American Psychological Association was founded with a membership of about 100 scientists—a number that has now grown to more than 122 00! It is impossible for me to list every single one of these important figures because there are so many but they have all made significant contributions to this field which continues today. One example I can mention is John B Watson whose behaviorist approach dominates psychology research even into the present day. The discipline grew rapidly from its early days as an obscure science until it became popular worldwide thanks to World War II where psychologists were recruited by military branches such as the U.S.’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Britain’s Military Intelligence Section (MIS). Psychology is the study of mental processes and behaviors. It encompasses everything from learning to thinking, perception to problem solving, emotions to intelligence. Psychology has been around since the 1800s but only recently did it become a science with studies conducted by various important figures such as Wilhelm Wundt who studied introspective methods; Hermann Ebbinghaus who studied memory development; Sigmund Freud who explored concepts like sexuality and dreams; Ivan Pavlov’s research into conditioned reflexes; Edward Thorndike’s experiments involving learning principles which would come to be known as “Thorndike’s law of effect”; Clark Hull who researched how various factors contribute to intelligence. Eventually in 1911 an American Psychological Association was founded with membership
