People have been interested in themselves for years, but the birth of psychology was December 1879 in the University of Leipzig in Germany. Wilhelm Wundt was working on an experiment with the help of two young men. The experiment used a machine to measure how long after hearing a ball drop on a platform would a person press a telegraph button (Hunt,1993). First, people were told to press the button when the sound occurred. Then they were told to press the button when they were aware of the sound. Wundt learned that it took a tenth of a second longer to press the button when they were aware of the sound than when the sound occurred.
Two branches of psychology was formed not long after its birth: structuralism and functionalism. Edward Bradford Thichener was a student of Wundt and he focused on structuralism, which is the structure of the mind. To study this, Thichener had people use a process called introspection or looking inward. He trained people to report the elements of what was experienced after looking at or smelling something, such as a flower; however, this varied depending on the education level of the person. Gradually this branch began to fade along with introspection.
Another student of Wundt, William James, focused on the functions of thoughts and feelings-- why our brain does this-- which is functionalism. It is believed that we think because our ancestors needed to think to survive. The consciousness serves its function to allow people to consider the past, present, and future.
As psychology continued to develop, more branches began to emerge. A few are abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, Gestalt psychology, and social psychology.
Two branches of psychology was formed not long after its birth: structuralism and functionalism. Edward Bradford Thichener was a student of Wundt and he focused on structuralism, which is the structure of the mind. To study this, Thichener had people use a process called introspection or looking inward. He trained people to report the elements of what was experienced after looking at or smelling something, such as a flower; however, this varied depending on the education level of the person. Gradually this branch began to fade along with introspection.
Another student of Wundt, William James, focused on the functions of thoughts and feelings-- why our brain does this-- which is functionalism. It is believed that we think because our ancestors needed to think to survive. The consciousness serves its function to allow people to consider the past, present, and future.
As psychology continued to develop, more branches began to emerge. A few are abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, Gestalt psychology, and social psychology.