How to Remember Important Names in the History of Psychology

In this video I provide example mnemonics, or memory aids, for remembering important names in the history of psychology including Wilhelm Wundt, Edward Titchener, William James, G. Stanley Hall, Mary Whiton Calkins, Margaret Floy Washburn, Sigmund Freud, and B.F. Skinner, as well as the roles they played in the development of structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism. The suggested mnemonics can … Read More

History & Approaches Practice Questions

I’ve begun creating practice question videos for introductory psychology. I hope that these can help you to test and assess your own knowledge and provide practice retrieving the terms, ideas, and concepts that you’ve learned. You can also find a PDF with the practice questions and an answer key below the video. You can find a PDF with all of … Read More

History & Approaches Knowledge Organizer

I’ve begun creating knowledge organizers for introductory psychology which cover all of the most important concepts for each unit. These are one-page summaries which represent information that students are expected to know. The information is organized in a way that allows for retrieval practice and makes it easy for students to quiz themselves or others. This content represents the building … Read More

Structuralism and Functionalism

In this video I describe two early approaches to psychology; the structuralism of Wilhelm Wundt and the functionalism of William James. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an email!  Viewers in China can find … Read More

What is Phrenology?

In this video I discuss phrenology, the work of Franz Josef Gall, and how this pseudoscience had a lasting positive impact on psychology.   Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an email! Video transcript: … Read More

Dualism and Monism (Intro Psych Tutorial #3)

In this video I discuss dualism, Descartes, monism, and Hermann von Helmholtz to consider why we can’t trust our intuitions about the world. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an email! Viewers in China … Read More

Nature versus Nurture (Intro Psych Tutorial #2)

In this video I describe the concepts of nativism and philosophical empiricism as well as modern views of the “nature vs. nature debate”. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an email! Viewers in China … Read More

What is Psychology? (Intro Psych Tutorial #1)

This first video provides a brief overview of what psychology is and describes a few of psychology’s many subfields. Viewers in China can watch this video here: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTgzNjkxNDUzMg Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to see future videos! Have questions or topics you’d like to see covered in a future video? Let me know by commenting or sending me an … Read More

History & Approaches to Psychology – Resources

On this page you’ll find resources covering the history of psychology as well as some of the main approaches for understanding thought and behavior. If I’ve missed a good resource, please share it in the comments section! General Resources History & Approaches Key Terms list History & Approaches Pinterest Board OpenStax Introductory Chapter Classics in the History of Psychology Page Video … Read More

Why Do We Still Learn about Phrenology?

Look in just about any psychology professor’s office and you’re bound to find something like the image above: a model mapping out a person’s “faculties” based on the bumps and dents of the skull. This type of skull study was known as phrenology and was popularized by Franz Josef Gall (1758-1828). Gall and others analyzed thousands of skulls, hoping to find patterns … Read More