Chapters 1 and 2
the intellectual climate or spirit of the times
zeitgeist
pseudoscience
discovered phrenology as well as white and gray matter in the brain
Franz Joseph Gall
Credited with developing the theory of evolution
Charles Darwin
the father of psychology
Wilhelm Wundt
the doctrine that natural processes are mechanically determined and capable of explanation by the laws of physics and chemistry
mechanism
the practice of drawing conclusions about personality based on the bumps on someone's head
phrenology
determining the function of a part of the brain by examining lesions during an autopsy
the clinical method
promoted social Darwinism
Herbert Spencer
the process of examining one's own mind and reporting on feelings, sensations, etc.
introspection
this 17th century philosopher created the mind-body problem
Rene Descartes
the smallest difference that can be detected between two stimuli
Just Noticeable Difference
determining the function of a part of the brain by removing or destroying it
extirpation
among the first to argue that intelligence is heritable
Francis Galton
school of psychological thought that focuses on breaking consciousness down into its component parts
structuralism
the doctrine that acts are determined by past events
determinism
Hermann von Helmholtz
The point of sensitivity below which no sensations can be detected and above which sensations can be detected
Absolute threshold
primitive antecedent of today's intelligence tests - they measured motor skills and sensory abilities
mental tests
applies the theory of evolution to human nature
Social Darwinism
the idea that the workings of machines could be understood by reducing them to their basic components
reductionism
Luigi Galvani
the point of sensitivity at which the least amount of change in a stimulus gives rise to a change in sensation
Differential Threshold
credited with being the father of American psychology
William James
the two main fields of study from which psychology was developed
philosophy and physiology