Delving deeper into the axioms and theorems one realizes that theorems rely on logic, and can be proved or disproved using axioms. However, axioms often rely on empiricism as a way of knowing. Going back to Euclidean Geometry , the fifth axiom stated that if two lines are perpendicular to the same line they are parallel to each other. The proof of this observation could not be provided using any other axioms or theorems, and was included by Euclid on the basis of common observation. This was widely accepted till two European mathematicians working independently - Bolyai and Lobachevsky discovered a flaw in this axiomatic truth. On a sphere, such as the earth, two lines (longitudes) which are perpendicular to the same line (the equator) end …show more content…
In the primary years of psychology as an empirical science, many people believed that cognition and human behavior cannot be studied scientifically because it cannot be measured directly and observed accurately. This was called behaviorism and scientists who studied this were called behaviorists. However, doubt and skepticism began to emerge when language could not be explained through a behavioristic perspective (Chomsky, 1959). Based on these doubts, scientists started focusing on the human mind and cognition which led to the emergence of cognitive psychology. This field has greatly excelled our knowledge and confidence from explaining abstract concepts like emotions, to addressing the various attribution errors humans tend to make. Another example of how doubt led to increased knowledge and confidence in the domains of psychology is through the gender- neutral theory, proposed by Dr. Money. Dr. Money was one of the leading sex researchers who had put forth the claim that all humans are born gender neutral, and that biological sex did not have to correspond to psychological sex (gender), but the study suffered from logical fallacy. To validate his theory Dr. Money had raised a young boy belonging to Reimer family as a girl named Brenda. Scientists began doubting his theory when Brenda experienced many problems in school due to her masculine behavior. Based on these doubts Milton Diamond examined the role of hormones on the developing fetus and proved that gender specific behavior was preprogramed inside the womb. After conducting a multitude of studies which provided evidence for his theory on role of hormones for gender label and identification, he published his findings in a book titled ‘The Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine’. Now his theory which has been supported by the intersex
A child is not born with a blank slate that his or her parents can socially construct their gender. The gender is what we feel inside which is independent from the sex anatomy of our body. A natural born male body consists of different hormone levels than a natural born female. If there is unusual exposure of these hormones, then it can affect how an individual feel on the inside from what they look like on the outside. Dr. Money’s theory was
The study of psychology began as a theoretical subject a branch of ancient philosophy, and later as a part of biological sciences and physiology. However, over the years, it has grown into a rigorous science and a separate discipline, with its own sets of guidance and experimental techniques. This paper aims to study the various stages that the science of psychology passed through to reach its contemporary status, and their effects on its development. It begins with an overview of the historical and philosophical basis of psychology, discusses the development of the various schools of thought, and highlights their effects on contemporary personal and professional decision-making.
Psychology can be broadly defined as the scientific and systematic study of people’s behavior and mental processes.
Connell: Chapter 4 “Sex Differences & Gendered Bodies”: I found this entire chapter quite intriguing, but I really appreciate the way that Connell approaches the ways in which males and females differ, and yet she also points out how there is no significant difference in brain anatomy and function between sexes. I found the statement by neuroscientist Lesley Rogers incredibly interesting, she states, “The brain does not choose to be wither a female or a male type. In any aspect of brain function that we can measure, there is considerable overlap between females and males” (p.52). This statement when paired with information about the affect social processes have on the body is mind boggling to realize, as Connell states, “biology bends to the hurricane of social discipline” (p.55). It is unnerving to think that I am merely a product of my society.
In 1913 a new movement in psychology appeared, Behaviorism. “Introduced by John Broadus Watson when he published the classic article Psychology as the behaviorist views it.” Consequently, Behaviorism (also called the behaviorist approach) was the primary paradigm in psychology between 1920 to 1950 and is based on a number of underlying ‘rules’: Psychology should be seen as a science; Behaviorism is primarily concerned with observable behavior, as opposed to internal events, like thinking and emotion; People have no free will – a person’s environment determines their behavior; Behavior is the result of stimulus resulting in a response; and All behavior is learned from the environment. How we process these stimuli and learn from our surrounds
The birth of psychology was in December of 1879, at Germanys University of Leipzig (Myers, 2014, p.2). In 1960, Wilhelm Wundt and Edward Titchener defines psychology as “the science of mental health” (Myers, 2014, p.4). However, two provocative American psychologists, John Watson and B.F Skinner, redefined psychology in 1920. They redefined psychology as “the scientific study of observable behavior” (Myers, 2014, p.4). The problem arose when psychologists realized people could not observe feeling or thought so they needed to come up with a new definition for psychology. We define psychology today as “the science of behavior and mental processes” (Myers, 2014, p.4). Psychology includes many subfields such as human development, social behavior,
Whilst evaluating the cognitive approach to psychology there are many strengths such as that the cognitive approach takes an understanding of the influence from mental processes on one’s behaviour, focusing on an individual’s thinking patterns and their perception. This approach also relates to many known functions and operations that the human body performs such as memory and problem solving.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behavior. In psychology, and all of the other sciences, relying on opinions is abandoned in order to find out which explanations best fit the evidence or data given. Science continually forces us to question our findings and conclusions. Over time, psychology has advanced greatly and a main reason for such progressiveness is because of the change in the research model used.
Several acheivements occurred in the development of cognitive psychology. The study of neuroscience brings us to what we know about cognition today. Cognitive psychology came from the criticisms and flaws of behaviorism. The focus of behaviorism is on observable behaviors, although cognitive psychology became a means to studying mental processes. Cognitive psychology can answer the questions behaviorism could not provide. Behavioral observations are key factors in cognitive psychology, and help with interpreting mental processes and behaviors. Through studying mental processes cognitive psychologists’ expanded psychology through and beyond observations. Behavioral observations helps researchers test cognitive theories. Behaviorists study observable behavior and cognitive psychologists study the mental processes. When studying these processes, researchers attempt to explain how unobservable processes interact with the observable behaviors and helping cognitive psychologists test their theories in
The development of psychology like all other sciences started with great minds debating unknown topics and searching for unknown answers. Early philosophers and psychologists such as Sir Francis Bacon and Charles Darwin took a scientific approach to psychology by introducing the ideas of measurement and biology into the way an indi...
Gender dysphoria was not really identified as disorder until the early 1960’s when the first Gender Identity clinic was established by Dr. Robert Stoller (Reicherzer, 2008). Stoller maintained a theory of core gender identity challenges that resembled an altered version of Freud and that was the libido is primarily masculine. Freud had the opinion that both girls and boys, starting at birth, associated themselves little boys and were only altered based on environmental influences (Peterson, 2014). Stoller’s inverse opinion against Freud was a precursor to studies of gender and sexual disorders all over. Stoller identified three main components that construct the core gender identity, being able to distinctively develop a sense of being male or female by the second year of life: establishing biological...
Gender identity has been a delicate issue when it comes to determining if a person's gender is set at birth or develops and changes as a person ages. A person’s gender is not as simple as being classified as either male or female. There’s a considerable amount of external factors that can influence someone's identity. Although society has a major role in gender identity, sex assignment at birth is not final; furthermore, a person's gender can be influenced by psychological, physiological differences and undergoing changes to the human body.
Throughout the ages, humans have had an inherent interest in studying the complex area of human behaviour, even before psychology was established as a science. Because the study of behaviour is so broad and multifaceted, its scientific study poses particular challenges. Therefore, it can be beneficial to approach the scientific study of human behaviour from the perspective of cognitive psychology. This is the study of cognition, the mental processes that underlie human behaviour (Ling & Cattling, 2012).
Sexologist are indecisive between gender explanations based on nature and culture. John Money’s he claimed, to divide pre- ad postnatal influences and attribute them to biology and culture respectively, since social influence enter the brain and are therefore also physiology.
Psychology is the scientific study and practical application of observable behavior and mental processes of organisms. Psychology differs from other social sciences such as: Sociology, History, or Economics, because psychology specifically deals with the study of an individual. The other social sciences will study groups, or history. Psychology is less a science of reported findings, it attempts asks and answers questions using observable behavior and what can be determined as mental processes of the subject. The symbol for psychology is the Greek letter “psi” (Ø). The subject matter of psychology is, affect, behavior, and cognition. The affect for psychology is the actual mental processes that make up: moods, feeling, and emotional state. An example for affect would be feeling sad about something happening. Behavior includes the actually actions and responses of organisms. Behavior can include the way we act in any given situation, for example when we get up in the morning. The order in the way we prepare ourselves for going out into public can be categorized as our behavior. Cognition is the actual mental events and the processes that result from them. Memories of an event are a great example of an organism’s cognition. The components and corresponding faces of psychology include the body of knowledge which is considered the teaching face, set of investigative methods or research face, and array of techniques the therapy face. The goals of psychology are: to explain behaviors, to describe behaviors, to predict behavior, and to modify inappropriate behaviors. Explaining behaviors would be a question similar to “Why does this happen?”, and example of how describing behavior could be accomplished would be asking “What causes this behavior, where does it come from?”. Predictions can be elaborated on by asking “When will the behavior occur?”. An example of a behavioral modification question is “What can be changed in the environment to alter this behavior?”. A specialized subfield of psychology that most interests me is, Forensic Psychology, because it would be appealing to me to understand a potential criminal mind and to make the determination if the criminal was sane at the time the crime was committed or if he/she was operating with full judgment. In studying the 9/11 attack on America, a Forensic Psyc...