ABPsi History
ABPsi stands for...
Association of Black Psychologists
The study of the mind and behavior is called...
Psychology
Often called the “Father of Black Psychology”, he was the first African American to earn a PhD in psychology. He helped establish the field for future Black psychologists.
Francis Cecil Sumner
Tested how far people would go in obeying authority figures, even when asked to administer what they believed were harmful electric shocks.
Key takeaway: Ordinary people can follow orders that conflict with their personal morals.
Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Study
This organ is the control center of the nervous system and is responsible for thinking, memory, and emotion.
The brain
ABPsi was founded in this year as a response to the lack of representation of Black psychologists in mainstream organizations.
1968
This type of conditioning involves learning through rewards and punishments
Operant conditioning
Known for the famous “Doll Studies”, his research on segregation and racial identity influenced the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Kenneth Bancroft Clark
Examined how people conform to roles in a simulated prison environment.
Key takeaway: Situational factors can strongly influence behavior, sometimes leading to abuse of power.
Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
This part of the brain is located at the back of the head and is primarily responsible for balance and coordination.
Cerebellum
ABPsi was founded in this U.S. city.
Washington, D.C.
In Maslow's hierarchy, this is the highest level, involving self-fulfillment and purpose
self-actualization
Along with her husband Kenneth, she conducted the Doll Studies and contributed to research on racial identity and self-perception in Black children.
Mamie Phipps Clark
Studied observational learning and aggression in children by having them watch adults interact aggressively with a Bobo doll.
Key takeaway: Children learn behaviors through imitation of adults.
Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment
This part of the limbic system plays a key role in processing strong emotions such as fear
Amygdala
The founding of ABPsi occurred shortly after this major social movement in the United States.
The Civil Rights Movement
This type of memory involves the conscious recall of facts and events
explicit memory
The first African-American woman to earn a PhD in psychology; she researched the effects of segregated versus integrated schooling on African-American children.
Inez Beverly Prosser
Famous for the “dog and bell” experiments showing that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus (bell) with food.
Key takeaway: Behavior can be conditioned through associations
Ivan Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Experiments
This part of the brainstem controls basic life functions like breathing and heartbeat
Medulla
ABPsi was founded in response to...
The American Psychological Association’s (APA) neglect of the psychological needs and experiences of black people
This theory, developed by Erik Erikson, describes eight stages of human development across the lifespan.
Erikson’s psychosocial development theory
Developed the Nigrescence Model of Black racial identity development, providing a framework for understanding the psychological process of developing a positive racial identity.
William E. Cross Jr.
Conditioned a young child to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise.
Key takeaway: Emotions like fear can be learned through classical conditioning.
John B. Watson & Rosalie Rayner – Little Albert Experiment
These are the “cells of the nervous system” that transmit information through electrical and chemical signals.
Neurons