PSY 3360 / CGS 3325 Instructor Teaching Assistants ...assmann/PSY3360/lec1.pdf · (Hergenhahn, 1992: p. 54) 5 Origins of psychology • Philosophical questions: • epistemology (how

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PSY 3360 / CGS 3325Historical Perspectives

on PsychologyMinds and Machines since 1600

Dr. Peter Assmann

Summer 2018

Instructor Teaching Assistants

Dr. Peter Assmann Kieth Gryder

Office: GR 4.118 Office: GR 4.808

Office hours: Wed 11:30 AM -12:30 PM

Office hours: Thu 5:00-6:00 PM

Email:[email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 972-883-2435

Syllabus and study guides

Review sheets for the exams

Additional (optional) course readings

Course web page:http://www.utdallas.edu/~assmann/PSY3360/

http://www.utdallas.edu/~assmann/PSY3360/

Course Text

R.E. Fancher & A. Rutherford

Pioneers of Psychology. 2016.

5th edition.

© 2016 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.

(1)DanielKahneman(2011).Thinking:FastandSlow.Farrar,StrausandGiroux.

(2)PeterCryleandElizabethStephens(2017).Normality:ACriticalGenealogy.UniversityOfChicagoPress.

(3)RobertM.Sapolsky(2015).Behave:TheBiologyofHumansatOurBestandWorst.Penguin.

(4)RichardO.Prum(2017).TheEvolutionofBeauty:HowDarwin'sForgottenTheoryofMateChoiceShapestheAnimalWorld‐ andUs.Doubleday.

In addition, choose one of the following books as the basis for your term paper:

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Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/books/review/thinking-fast-and-slow-by-daniel-kahneman-book-review.html?pagewanted=all

“The book is an engaging summary of over fifty years of experimental research that has sought to understand how humans make choices when faced with uncertainty … Kahneman conceptualizes decision processes as an interplay between two rivaling but inextricably linked systems, plainly named System 1 and System 2. System 1 is responsible for our quick, intuitive thought processes, while System 2 is the source of slow, deliberative thought.”

Stephanie Kovalchik, significancemagazine.org

Course requirements

• Quiz/participation (10%)

• Midterm exam (30%)

• Final exam (40%)

• Term paper (20%)

Quiz/participation grade (10%)

• Selected classes will include a brief

unannounced quiz. Their purpose is to help

prepare for the exams. No makeup quizzes

are provided. One quiz may be missed

without penalty.

Midterm exam (30%)

• Thursday June 19

• Mixture of short-answer, medium-length,

multiple choice questions.

• There will be a choice of questions to

answer. Study questions are provided.

• Makeup exams only for documented cases

of medical and family emergencies.

Term paper (20%)

• Due Thursday July 19.

• Start early in the semester; choose one of

the three books from the list, and read it

early in the semester. We will be happy to

discuss ideas for paper topics.

Term paper (20%)


– The paper should not be a "book report” or a

summary of the book.

– Focus on one topic in the book and relate it to

something outside the book.

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Term paper (20%)


– 7-8 (typed, double-spaced) pages

– based on one of the recommended books

– relate some aspect of the book to something

outside of the book, either in the course or in

your more general experience.

Term paper (20%)


• Penalty of one letter grade notch per class

period the paper is late. This policy ensures

fairness to students who turn their paper in

on time and do not have the advantage of

extra time to improve its quality.

Final exam (40%)

• Pending confirmation by the Registrar:

– Thursday August 2 -- 6:00 - 9:45 PM

• Same format and rules as the midterm exam

• Final exam is scheduled for 3 hours in the

regular classroom.

Grading SchemeLetter grade Percent

A+ 96

A 93

A- 89

B+ 84

B 80

B- 75

C+ 70

C 65

C- 60

D+ 55

D 50

F <50

Attendance policy

• Class attendance is mandatory and will count

toward the course grade (through quiz grades).

There are two reasons for this: (1) each lecture

builds on materials covered in previous lectures;

(2) exam questions are based both on lecture

materials and the textbook.

Attendance policy

• One missed quiz is considered acceptable; we

drop the lowest quiz grade. No makeup

quizzes will be given.

• If there are circumstances that lead to missed

classes please see us to discuss the situation.

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Why is class attendance mandatory?

0 5 10 15 200

20

40

60

80

100

Classes missed

Fin

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rade

Research CreditsAll core courses in Psychology and Cognitive Science include a research participation component.

• The research credit sign-up system is online: https://utdallas.sona-systems.com.

• Use your UTD NetID to login and sign up for experiments.

• New experiments appear every few days throughout the semester; keep checking the board if you cannot find a suitable time slot.

• Historical and philosophical antecedents of our

present conceptual frameworks in psychology

• 17th century to the present day

• What is it that psychology studies?

• What counts as data?

Historical Perspectives on Psychology

• Is psychology ultimately reducible to biology,

chemistry, and physics?

• Are humans mere deterministic machines?

• Do we possess a free will?

Historical Perspectives on Psychology

• rationalism and empiricism

• the mind/body problem

• the problem of free will

• the scientific status of mental events

Historical Perspectives on PsychologyWhat counts as data in psychology?

Reductionism: “The attempt to explain objects or events in one domain by using terminology, concepts, laws, or principles from another domain.”

(Hergenhahn, 1992: p. 54)

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Origins of psychology

• Philosophical questions:

• epistemology (how do people acquire knowledge of the world)

• metaphysics (what kinds of objects exist in the universe)

• perception, memory, thought and emotion

Elements of scientific explanation

– Description

– Prediction

– Control

– Falsifiability

Key concepts

• Empiricism vs. rationalism

• Empiricism: the philosophical belief that all

knowledge is derived from experience of

the outside world.

• Rationalism: the belief that knowledge can

only be attained by mental activity.

Problem of free will

• Free will vs. determinism

• Determinism: the view that everything

occurs as a result of known or identifiable

causes.

• Free will: the opposite position; a belief in human control of events.

Mind-body problem

• Dualism vs. monism

• Dualism: the philosophical position that the

world is made up of two kinds of things, the

physical and the mental.

• Monism: the position that there is only one

kind of substance (mental or physical).

Zeitgeist

• Zeitgeist (spirit of the times) – the idea that

progress in science is linked to previous

discoveries and theories. The prevailing

ideas, concepts, and habits of thought of a

period in history are referred to as its

Zeitgeist.

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The Renaissance (1450-1600)

• Major advances in science, art, humanities

• Beginnings of modern science

• Renaissance humanism

• Rediscovery of classic Greek and Roman writings


• Key events:– Johannes Gutenberg (c 1400-1467) of

Mainz invented the printing press in 1455.

Printing press, 1568 Gutenberg Bible


• Introduction of the spinning wheel revolutionizes textile production in Europe.

A depiction of spinning by Velázquez, 1644-1648


• Key events:– opening up of new trade routes to the East by

Venetian traders: Marco Polo (1254-1324)

– The “discovery” of the New World, credited to Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Tempietto di San Pietro in Montorio, Rome 1502 Leonardo da Vinci

's Vitruvian Man,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMsaFP3kgqQ

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Trade routes to the eastVoyages of Marco Polo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Marco_Polo._Map_of_explore.jpg


• Rejection of Scholasticism – derived from Aristotle (384-322 BC).

• Religious reforms and religious conflicts

• Protestant Reformation– Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

– Division of the Christian Church in Europe


• Gradual erosion of heredity and divine right as the basis for the distribution of wealth

• Growing importance of science as a source of commercial and economic benefits – introduction of gunpowder and the increased

use of firearms and canons in war – led to the mathematical study of ballistics

René Descartes (1596-1650)

French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist

Contributions

• unification of algebra and geometry; Cartesian coordinate system

• theory of reflex movement

• mind-body relationship

• Cartesian method

Skepticism

• distinguish true from false, and good ideas from bad, by calling into question any aspects of those facts or ideas that are not known for certain; in other words, by a process of systematic doubt.

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Descartes’ Method

1. Never accept anything as true unless it can be clearly shown as such (the skeptical approach).

2. Separate each complex problem into as many parts as you can, and solve each one separately.

Descartes’ Method

3. Rank the problems that you face in order of difficulty, and tackle them by starting with the simplest and easiest, and gradually moving to the more difficult ones.

4. Make an exhaustive and systematic review of your conclusions and the process that led you to them, so that nothing will be left out.

Cogito, ergo sum“I think, therefore I am”

• “Cartesian doubt” – systematically calls into question and challenges all assumptions and ideas, so that what is left is unquestionable and solid.

• Cogito argument: something must exist (a conscious agent) in order to do the thinking and doubting.


• Descartes extended the Cogito argument to argue for the existence of God and the external world

• clear and distinct ideas: God, perfection, infinity, unity, the axioms of geometry

Rationalism

• Some ideas are not invented or discovered,

but inherent or innate. Their truth is self-

evident, not derived from experience.

• Rationalism is the view that true knowledge

is ultimately derived from a process of

rational thought.

“Clockwork universe”

• Descartes’ mechanistic view of the physical world: physical principles explain the workings of the physical world, as well as physiological processes of digestion, growth, respiration, and sensation in humans & animals.

• But the human mind lies outside the realm of the physical; not amenable to scientific study.

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The problem for dualism

• If mind and body are fundamentally

different entities, how do they interact?

– How do external objects and events leave

their impressions on our awareness?

– How are thoughts, desires, and intentions

translated into actions?

Interactionist dualism

• Rational decisions can lead to physical actions

• Events in the physical world are perceived by the mind

• Mind and body interact through a single pathway

• Special role of the pineal gland in the human nervous system

Hydromechanical theory of nerve transmission

• Theory of reflex behavior

• Theory of memory

• Emotions

• Sleep and dreams

Animal spirits• Concept originated in ancient Greece (300 BCE)

• Invisible, weightless substance that flowed through hollow nerves

• Developed by Galen (129-216 AD)– Natural spirits derived from nutrients via the liver

– Transformed into animal spirits when mixed with inhaled air

– Animal spirits flowed from the brain to other parts of the body

Vesalius (1514–1564)

• Anatomy: De humani corporis fabrica

• Disagreed with Galen on the structure of the brain and the role of animal spirits; branded as a heretic and forced to flee from Europe

Theory of reflex behavior

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Hydromechanical theory of nerve transmission

• William Harvey - circulatory system

• The primary sense receptors of animals and humans are like pressure plates that start the flow of animal spiritsthrough a series of pipes.

Descartes

• Humans and animals share physical, bodily processes that operate like machines. But only humans have minds (souls)

• The soul is the seat of reason; analogy of the fountaineer (hydraulic engineer) at the base of a reservoir, initiating the flow of water through the pipes

• Nervous system ‐ hydraulic principles

Theory of depth perception

• Doctrine of innate ideas

• Binocular vision

• Role of geometry

The “Ghost in the Machine”

• The mental and physical worlds are distinct.

• The body is constrained by physical laws of space and time; the mind is an abstract and non-material entity.

• Plausible mechanism for interaction?

Problem of other minds

If the only thing we can be absolutely certain of is the existence of our own minds doing the thinking and doubting, how can we ever possibly know whether other people exist, have minds and thoughts like we do?

Self-awareness is a private state

Descartes moves to Sweden

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Descartes’ Legacy

• What problem for the study of mind and behavior was raised by Descartes’ Cogitoargument?

• Why should we care?

“By localizing the soul’s contact with body in the pineal gland, Descartes had raised the question of the relationship of mind to the brain and nervous system. Yet at the same time, by drawing a radical ontological distinction between body as extended and mind as pure thought, Descartes, in search of certitude, had paradoxically created intellectual chaos.” (Robert Wozniak)

Descartes

• Nativism: Some ideas are not invented or discovered, but inherent or innate. Their truth is self-evident, not derived from experience.

• Rationalism: True knowledge is ultimately derived from a process of rational thought.

• Dualism: Mind and body are distinct and different; simple physical principles explain the workings of the physical world, but the human mind lies outside the physical realm.


• If mind and body are fundamentally different entities, how do they interact?

• How do external objects and events leave their impressions on our awareness?

• How are thoughts, desires, and intentions translated into actions?


• Skepticism and the “Cartesian doubt” – systematically call into question and challenge all

assumptions and ideas, so that what is left is unquestionable and solid.

• Cogito argument– something must exist (a conscious agent) in order

to do the thinking and doubting.


• If mind and body are fundamentally

different entities, how do they interact?

– How do external objects and events leave

their impressions on our awareness?

– How are thoughts, desires, and intentions

translated into actions?

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Pineal gland

The pineal gland is an endocrine organ, which produces the hormone melatonin.

Paralysed patients control robotic arm with thoughts

Practice Quiz

The philosophical belief that knowledge can only be attained by mental activity is called

a) Empiricism

b) Dualism

c) Rationalism

d) Determinism

Two Rationalist Alternatives:

Spinoza Leibniz

Monist Dualist

Events and dates1478 Spanish Inquisition

1497 Portuguese Jews (including Spinoza’sancestors) forced to convert or be expelled.

1616 Death of Shakespeare

1618 Beginning of the Thirty Years War

1628 William Harvey discovers the mechanisms of the human circulatory system

1629 Descartes moves to Holland

1632 Spinoza was born

Events and dates1632 Anton van Leeuwenhoeck (inventor of the

microscope) born in Amsterdam1632 Galileo was denounced by the Inquisition.1637 Descartes publishes Discourse on Method1642 Isaac Newton was born1646 Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz was born1648 End of the Thirty Years War1651 Spinoza first became aware of Descartes’

work, one year after his death1655 Spinoza accused of heresy; is expelled from

the Amsterdam Synagogue.

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Monism

“The mind and the body are one and the same thing”

• material monism (Hobbes, Gassendi)

• mental monism (Berkeley)

• neutral monism (Spinoza).

Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)

Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)• Jewish philosopher and mathematician• Expelled from the Amsterdam synagogue for

his unorthodox views in 1656• Declined the Chair of Philosophy at

Heidelberg University in 1673 to maintain his independence

• Lived modestly; earned his living as a lens grinder

• Died of consumption, aggravated by the dust from lens grinding

B. Spinoza Ethics

Spinoza’s rejection of dualism

• Dual aspect (neutral) monism: equivalence of mind and matter

• Pantheism: inseparability of nature and God• Deductive method: start with a small

number of principles or axioms regarded as “self-evident” and use them to arrive at other true statements

• Moral and ethical principles

Spinoza’s moral / ethical philosophy

• Determinism: if humans are part of nature, and subject to its laws, then all aspects of human experience are determined.

• Freedom: consists in knowing that all events have causes, and living one’s life in pursuit of the knowledge of the causes of things.

• Hedonism: “good” and “evil” are nothing more than the experiences of pleasure and pain.

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Psychic determinism

• Spinoza’s monist solution to the mind-body problem implies that mental experiences are subject to natural laws and can be studied in the same way as the physical world.

• Foreshadows the possibility of a scientific psychology.

Gottfried Willhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716)

Psychophysical parallelism• Dualist solution to the mind-body problem• There is a close correlation between mental

events and physical events• But physical events do not interact with or

influence mental events (or vice versa). They are fundamentally different.

• Metaphor of two clocks in perfect synchrony• Pre-established harmony

Monadology

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)

• The universe is populated by living things

• monads - indivisible units that make up the universe. – rational monads

– sentient monads

– simple monads

Leibniz

• Nativism: the mind is like a block of veined marble

• Apperception

• Minute perceptions

The Stepped Reckoner

...it is beneath the dignity of excellent men to waste their time in calculation when any peasant could do the work just as accurately with the aid of a machine. Gottfried Leibniz[1]

Leibniz1671

Documents

PSY 3360 / CGS 3325 Instructor Teaching Assistants ...assmann/PSY3360/lec1.pdf · (Hergenhahn, 1992: p. 54) 5 Origins of psychology • Philosophical questions: • epistemology (how