Students’ Basic Philosophical Assumptions in History of Psychology: A Measure and Teaching Tool

Abstract

belief in behavior as evidence does not preclude belief in mind anymore. Although the data presented here suggest there is still strong adherence to some Freudian ideas (in a psychology department largely hostile to Freud), the psychologist that the typical student here most resembles (in beliefifnot in elegance of expression) appears to be William James: tolerant of religion, knowledgeable about evolution, skeptical of determinism, fundamentally dualist, and open to all information. The battles are less heated, but American functionalism appears alive and well among students.Hart, J. J. (1986). A strategy for teaching the history and systems of psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 13, 67--69. Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago:University of Chicago Press. Stocking, G. W. (1965). On the limits of "presentism" and "historicism" in the historiography of the behavioral sciences.

Use of Primary Source Readings in Psychology Courses at Liberal Arts Colleges

“…Past research has discussed the effectiveness of literature in highlighting psychological principles (Boyatzis, 1992;Cavanaugh, 1999;Chrisler, 1990;Grant, 1987;Levine, 1983). Beyond literature, material from disciplines such as philosophy (Cox, 1997;Fine & Ulrich, 1988), history (Albrecht & Nelson, 2001), and other fields may also be useful in addressing issues from psychology. Thus, in addition to using primary source material from within psychology, I expected that professors also assign, to a lesser extent, material from other disciplines.…”