Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Close Question for 9/8

What/who is one major contribution/contributor that you believe played a role in shaping the field into what it is today?

107 comments:

  1. I believe that one of the most vital contributors to modern psychology was William James. He played a large part, through his teachings, in the formation of psychology as a science. His paper, "Principles of Psychology" was a huge leap into the field becoming a part of many students education, which in time has changed and evolved to become the class we know today.

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  2. I believe that Wundt's psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig played a huge role in shaping the field into a more science based area.

    -Rachel Strickler

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  3. I think one of the major contributers that made psychology into what it is today is Wilhelm Wundt. He was given credit as the founder of scientific psychology. Wundt’s first book on psychology dealt with sensory perceptions. Wundt also found the first research lab of psychology.

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  4. I think Wilhelm Wundt was a major contributor to the present field of psych because his experiment was the first real experiment for psych. The experiment and the observations that came with it allowed people to work more in the field.

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  5. I believe that one major contribution to psychology is the introduction to structuralism. Edward Bradford Titchener joined the Cornell University study and introduced this new idea that connected science to theory. It was the first time there was an actual study of the brain.

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  6. I think that modern empiricism is a major contribution that helped play a role in shaping Psychology into the field that it is today. Because of Francis Bacon's ideas and John Locke's ideas, modern empiricism was formed. Empiricism is " the view that knowledge originates in experience and that science should, therefore, rely on observation and experimentation".This is important because it has allowed people to keep experimenting to find out more. For this reason, empiricism is something that has shaped Psychology into what it is today. (Taylor Mahoney)

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  7. There are a vast amount of contributions and contributors that played major roles in shaping psychology, so it was very difficult to pinpoint any one contribution/person who was especially important. Still, one of the people who first sparked my interest when I was reading the prologue was Aristotle. I had always heard of him as being linked with Plato and Socrates (since he was the student of Plato and the "grand student" of Socrates), so it surprised me a little to realize he disagreed with the two on such an important issue. While Socrates and Plato believed that knowledge was innate, Aristotle argued that it was gained through experience, a learning process. This belief led to the formation of empiricism, which promotes knowledge being learned (not innate) and the scientific method (observation, forming conclusions) as the best way to go about psychology. As empiricism grew, psychological science also developed, and gradually psychology grew to be the vast field that we know today.

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  8. Wilhelm Wundt was one major contributor to the field of psychology it is today. He established the first psychology laboratory. Making the laboratory made other people curious about it and it spread around to different branches of schools. Each of these schools had different thinkers that kept researching structuralism and functionalism.

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  9. I think the study of psychology was impacted by William Wundt, the German professor. He launched the first psychological laboratory and helped create the foundation of psychology as we know it today.

    -Dane Kragness

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  10. I feel the Wilhelm Wundt contributed the most to the field of psychology, and shaping it into what it was today. Not because of any particular breakthrough, but Wundt was the first to open a lab (the Leipzig lab) dedicated solely to the study of psychology. Because this lab was opened, it attracted prominent scientists from around the world to study in his lab, and in turn those scientists traveled home and continued the study of psychology in new ways. For this reason, not some big scientific breakthrough, but for raising the study of psychology from an abstract science to a tangible science I believe Wilhelm Wundt was very influential in shaping the field to what it is today, he breathed life into the science, and was the “first domino” of future discoveries.

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  11. I think the men who set up a foundation for the field of psychology were men such as John Locke and Francis Bacon. These men became the fathers of empiricism, and believed that knowledge came from one's senses and experiences, and that science thrives through observation and experiment. Today, so much of what we understand about the mind, emotions, thoughts, and actions has been derived from studies and observations of the mind and experiences. Bacon conducted experiments and studies to observe and enable an understanding of human behavior and the mind. These men began a movement that set up the entire foundation for the experiments and knowledge that we know and understand today. Experiments and studies have been an essential part in understanding the mind, and without Bacon and Locke, modern psychology would not be where it is today.

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  12. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt played a huge role in shaping the field of psychology into what it is today. Wundt is responsible for designing the first official experiment, which measured the reaction time between when an action occurred and when the subject reacted to it. This experiment led to the establishment of the first laboratory dedicated to psychological experiments. The different schools of thought soon followed. These schools are still relevant today because they describe the different ways to look at and interpret psychology. Wilhelm Wundt’s experiments led to the creation of psychological science, and therefore the creation of the schools of thought. He is a major contributor to shaping the field of psychology into what it is today.

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  13. I think that the most important occurance was the transfer from a more philosophical psychology to a scientific psychology. Moving from the ideas to testing the ideas evloved the field into a sustanable science that has made it vival in the world today.

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  14. I feel that one of the major contributions to psychology was Francis Bacon. He became one of the founders of modern science; his experiments helped to influence psychological science today. His research helped psychology begin to be viewed more through the science aspect.

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  15. monkeysoc2 is Briana Lackman

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  16. A major contribution to Psychology that I believe played a role in shaping the field into what it is today is the concept of structuralism. This concept is a major contribution because it allows people to engage in self-reflective introspection. I believe structuralism has not only broadened our minds to contrast experiences with feelings or sensations, but has also opened our minds to new spectrums of psychology. It automatically allows us to ask further questions about our feelings and sensations, and at the same time gives us the idea that more can be discovered of the human mind.

    -Alyssa Flora

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  17. A major contribution to Psychology is the introduction of modern day Scientific Psychology. This is important because it made the field of psychology into something that can studied as an applied science. Experiments and scientific observations can be made in Psychology, rather than sitting around thinking of ideas and theories as to why humans do what they do. I dislike science though.

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  18. I believe that one of the most important contributions to Psychology was by John Locke. The thought of Empiricism that everyone starts life as a blank slate is part of the corner stone of understanding the mind. The observation that we learn and develop through experiences plays a part in so many other studies. This also plays into the nature vs. nurture argument. In contrast to that, I think that Edward Titchener and his structuralism were a complete waste of time. Sure you can understand yourself but that means nothing to everyone else. Also this is Andrew Miller

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  19. I believe the internet has been and continues to be a major contribution to shaping Psychology into what it is today. It allows information to be passed from psychologist to psychologist, regardless of the distance between those involved.

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  20. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt's contribution to psychology was really important as it provided the first psychology experiment in the first psychology lab. Psychology might be different if he had not made these experiments.

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  21. I think the development of structuralism shaped psyhcology into the field that it is today. A mainpart of structuralism was the concept of introspection that Edward Titchener introduced. Introspection or looking inward trained people to reflect on their on experiences. This new way of thinking significantly shaped psychology because it let the individual person reflect on how he/she felt about a specific experience.

    Kathleen Martin

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  22. Psychology has become a scientific field today with countless areas that are studied. A major contribution to why Psychology has become the field to what it is today has come from Wilhelm Wundt. Wilhelm Wundt transformed psychology into the science field that it became by performing the first lab experiment which tested reaction times between a person and the action performed. With this experiment, Wilhelm Wundt pushed psychology into a more scientifical approach which later on created the schools of thought. The schools of thought opened up more fields of study and created a drastic change through the study of psychology.
    -Ravi Sidhu

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  24. I think a major contribution to Psychology was moving more towards a scientific study rather than a philosophical study. Another major contribution was when the first experiment was performed by Wilhelm Wundt; this experiment was the event that led to Psychology to be more scientific, but it also still has philosophical ideas.

    -Kimberly Stevens

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  25. I think psychologists of the past played a huge role in shaping the field of Psychology into what it is today. Each person had his or her own thoughts that contributed to the science. They shared their ideas and combined them to get a thorough understanding of Psychology.

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  26. I think that a major contributor to psychology as we know it today was Francis Bacon. He utilized experiment, experience and common-sense while researching the mind and human reactions. Psychology became more science based and less about theories. - Kelly Donkin

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  27. For allowing the transition of psychology from a prescientific study to a psychological science, Wilhelm Wundt exists as a major contributor that played a role in shaping the field into what it is today. As Wundt set up psychology's first experiment comparing response time to perception time, the birth of a modern-day psychological science occurred. The experiment led to the different branches of structuralism and functionalism in psychology. The formation of different parts of psychology laid the foundation for the multiple fields of study in the science today.
    Michael Witman

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  28. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt played a role in shaping the field of Psychology into what it is today. He created the first psychology laboratory. This made psychology more of a science than just ideas. The lab made research easier and created interest in other people. After the lab was created, Psychology became more popular which caused more people to study this field and overall made many advancements.

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  29. A major contributor that played a role in shaping the field into what is it today is Augustine. He wrote about how the condition of the body affects the mind and vice versa.

    -Karly Reigel

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  30. One major contribution to Psychology that i believe plays a role in shaping today's field would be functionalism. It allows people to focus on there mental behaviors and how they function. Functionalism also shows how humans being can learn to adapt and survive to different environments. It makes people want to learn more about how our minds work and to experiment on how we have willpower or memories. It keeps us interested in how our mind works and how we function.

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  31. I believe that Locke was a major contributor because he played a major role in helping justify that ideas are not inborn and said "The mind is a blank sheet on which experience writes." He helped explain why humans do not come with certain characteristics or traits, but in fact learn and gain knowledge and those items from experience they go through. Also, a contribution would be functionalism because that introduced the idea of why we do what we do. This gave the idea of the functions of our thoughts and feelings. An example being that "consciousness serves the purpose to enable us to consider our past, adjust it to our present circumstances, and plan our future." This consciousness shows a window to us determining and making decisions that affect our lives from not only past and present, but also future.

    -Emily DeJesus

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  32. One major contributor to modern day psychology is Wilhelm Wundt. Wundt transformed psychology from a topic studied by philosophers to a concrete science. By performing experiments, he was able to prove psychology instead of simply guessing about it like people had done for centuries before.

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  33. Today there are many fields and specific areas of study in psychology. This contributionwas greatly influenced by structualism. structualism explores the human minmd andconnects the mindwith different elements,such as smell and taste. thisnewconnectionbroaden todayspsychology into many different areas of study.

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  34. I think a major contribution to Psychology was William James. His philosophy was one of pragmatism. This philosophy tested truth by consequences. James also explored emotions, memories, willpower, habit, and streams of consciousness. He admitted Mary Calkins into his class; she would later become the first female president of the American Psychology Association. James was very influential, and people still use his work "Principles of Psychology" in modern times.

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  35. i believe William Wundt had the biggest influence on making psychology what it is today. Instead of readings or writings he actually did a physical experiement to prove a theory and fin information. He also began the first psychology research lab which was important because without that we could still be without the ability to do experiments in psychology today. It also began schools of thought which introduced structuralism and functionalism.

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  36. The evolution of technology and science as a whole has played a role in shaping Psychology into what it is today. We are able to look into the human brain through various medical procedures (both invasive and non-invasive). A thousand years ago, we would not have been able to do this. Because the technology has been advanced, we can delve deeper into the depths of the human mind.

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  37. I believe Wehleim Wundt played a major role in the contributions to today's psychology. Wudnt's sensory experiment and laboratory have really impacted what we know about psychology.

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  38. I believe there is not one significant contribution that is more important than other contributions that shaped psychology. I believe that psychology was shaped into what it is today by many different sources throughout the years. One of the most important contributions to psychology is the various philosophers throughout the years. Several different philosophers, such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine, have given ideas and inputs on how the mind and body work. With all of the different perspectives, psychology today has been able to narrow down the correct answers. I believe Socrates is one of the most prominent philosophers from the past. I believe he was the one who really began to raise the question and interest of whether or not there is a connection between the mind and body. Following Socrates’s idea of a complete separation of the mind and body, Plato elaborated on this idea, while Aristotle disagreed.
    -Molly Ulrich

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  39. I think that one of the best contributors to psychology was William James. He played a large part, through his teachings and beliefs. He is often called the father of modern psychology. He created a paper, "Principles of Psychology" which was a great contribution into the field.

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  40. I think that Charles Darwin's findings of natural selection is one major contribution that played a role in shaping the field into what it is today. Charles Darwin proposed the idea that nature “picks” the fit organisms of an environment to survive and reproduce. His idea helped support Decartes' views. Darwin's study of tortoises and birds enabled him to conclude the idea of organisms adapting to survive. Darwin's magnificent idea is still used today and helped the study of biology as well. His study of evolution has also been an important principle to psychology today. It helps explain animal structure as well as their behaviors. Darwin's natural selection helped the nature-nurture debate. Because natural selection helps explain many biological studies, it assists in psychology as well. It helps conclude that every psychological event is influenced by a biological event. I feel that Charles Darwin's discovery of natural selection and his studies of evolution helped in shaping the field to what it is today.

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  41. I feel that the beginning of scientific psychology was in the year 1879. At this time Wilhelm Wundt set up the first psychological laboratory in an apartment near the university at Leipzig, Germany.He taught his subjects about introspection. They were asked to record their reactions to simple stimuli. Wundt wanted to study or examine the basic cognitive structures. Through further experiments he was able to describe his theory of structuralism, the idea that the mind works by combining emotions and sensations. In conclusion, William Wundt was one of the biggest contributors to modern day psychology.

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  42. I think the first laboratory, created by William Wundt, greatly contributed to the shaping of the field; it was a big step in making psychology what it is today. Previously, psychology was very philosophical, but, after the first experiments were conducted, psychology became a scientific study in addition to a philosophical one.

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  43. There are so many people who had a hand in the creation and shaping of psychology but one of the most important contributors is William James. He thought the first psychology class nd therefore gave the future researchers the tools to shape the field.

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  44. One contribution to modern Psychology that played a role in shaping Psycology into what it to day is Wilhelm Wundt's creation of an experimental apparatus. His machine was able to measure the lag from the time a person hears a ball hit a platform until they press a telegraph key. This led the way for more scientific experiments on the study of Psycology.

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  45. One contributer to modern day psychology is Abraham Maslow. Maslow introduced a hierarchy of motives in 1970. The priorities of the pyramid are depicted via increasing order of the hierarchy of needs figure. The reason this illustration is important is because it displayed the motives and priorities human beams portray throughout life. The pyramids consists of a basis which are the external needs of a human. As one travels up the pyramid the needs become deeper. The pinnacle of the pyramid is self-actualization. This is the point where one will question the own being and life. Humans are the only animals capable of self-actualization. For instances, mammals of birds cannot question there exsitance obviously. Even prymates are unable to achieve this thought. Most importantly, I believe self-actualization is what seperates humans as a species. It proves that humans are the most dominant species on earth as well. I believe Maslow's Hierarchy of needs is a important contribution to psychology. The pyramid allows us to expand beyond our own capabilities as humans. It shows that we have the ability to ask "Why?".

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  46. We define psychology today as the science of behaviors and mental processes. There are many psychologists and thinkers that have contributed to this defition, where each word plays a significant part in defining what we call psychology. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt played a major role in shaping how we define psychology today as a science. He wrote many pieces of work that influence the field today, such as "Principles of Physiological Psychology." This book is often reflected apon and helps teach others about the study. He established the first psychology lab in which he conducted experiments that reinforce his theories and thoughts. One of his experiments consisted of tracking the reaction time for someone to hit a button after hearing a sound. Aside from being an exceptional individual, he also influenced many other important figures to the field of psychology. He was the teacher of the Tichener, who came up with structuralism and said his work was consistent with Wundt's. Bacon also was a big contribution in the way he studies human behavior. He held experiments to come with the theory that by studying the different properties of different people, one predict the behaviors of a certain individual. Throughout history many thinkers, philosophers, and psychologists have put their input and ideas into how we define psychology today.
    -Sarah Cosgrove

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  47. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt made a major contribution to psychology by creating the first psychology lab in 1879. He conducted experiments that encouraged the subjects to use introspection and helped him to describe structuralism, or his belief that the mind works by combining sensations and emotions. This basically created the field of scientific psychology and was a therefore a huge contribution to science.

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  48. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt was a major contribution to the study of psychology because his experiment at the Germany University sparked an interest in others. He, along with two helpers, used a machine that measured people's reactions to tasks. This is believed to be the fist major experiment in psychology. This also helped distinguish different levels of psychology. Later, his students went on to be succesful in this field. Therefore, Wundt played in important role in familiarizing society with the study of the mind and hence made this study more popular by initiating his experiment

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  49. I believe Wehleim Wundt played a significantpart in providing important contributions to help shape the way psychology is now. Wundt's sensory experiment and laboratory have really helped to understand what we know about psychology today because without him and his production of the laboratory, there may not be a place for scientists or just people in general to do research. Wehleim Wundt's creation of the laboratory was a huge gift to today's society.

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  50. I believe the one of the most important contributors to psychology is Aristotle who decided to take a different path than the ones of Plato and Socrates and integrated the idea of nuture's role into human thinking. He also determined that knowledge is formed from our experiences (and not from birth). His greatest contribution to the shaping of the field is his school which educated new thinkers for the field.

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  51. I think Wilhelm Wundt played a major role in shaping the field into what it is today because he created the first psychological laboratory, conducted psychology experiment. This laboratory also had psychology's first graduate students. Psychology may not be the same if it weren't for Wilhelm Wundt.

    Laura McCanney

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  52. I believe that William Wundt made a huge contribution to modern Psychology. He was like a turning point in Psycology's history. Before he came along, people would make educated guesses and from these from theories, but wouldnt be able to prove it scientifically. Because of this, people would guess differently, and then argue over it to prove that they were right, but Wundt gave us a way to look scientifically into why we think and behave the way we do.

    ~Silas Robinson~

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  53. I believe that a major contribution to Psychology was the prescientific Psychology stage. I think that the different philosophers; Augustine, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle among others, just sharing their ideas and throwing around different explanations helped to shape what was to become psychology. Their sheer interest in the way the mind works and different factors and variables that affected the mind and the body lead to a desire to want to prove different theories, which helped to lead to the more scientific stage of psychology.

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  54. I think the introduction of structuralism and introspection shaped psychology into what it is today. Structuralism and introspection changed the focus of psychology from the connection between the mind and the body to how the mind works and how we think, which is still what psychology focuses on today.

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  55. I think that Wilhelm Wundt had a major contribution to shaping the Psychology field into what it is today. He did the first experiment for psychology and also had the first psychological lab. I think that by doing this he opened up a door to a new way to learn more in depth about how the mind functions. Today, people still do experiments to try and learn more in depth information; and this is all because Wundt decided to conduct the first experiment.

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  56. I believe that Wilheim Wundt played a significant role in shaping the field of psychology into what it is today. First, he helped create what may be considered the first psychology experiment. He also created the first psychological laboratory at the University of Leipzig in Germany. After this psychology became organized into different branches.

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  57. I believe that John Locke made a very significant contribution to shaping the role psychology plays today because of the essay he wrote (Essay Concerning Human Understanding). In this he argued that the mind is a blank slate at birth and that you learn through experience. This helped form modern empiricism. Empiricism is still a theory today and it is important. The book says something very clever about this theory. If we're all equal at birth, it is a rationale for democracy. This is very significant!

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  58. I think one major contribution to Psychology was Wilhelm Wundt experiements. He wanted to test the basic mind processes, and I believe his first lab began to change psychology from being philosophical to more science/fact based; shaping the way psychology is today. His labs also led way to the introduction of structuralism and functionalism by other psychologists.

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  59. In my opinion Wilhelm Wundt's experiment was the biggest contribution made to psychology. He was super curious about the human mind & constructed the first psychological experiment. He continued on to creating the first school for psychology,structuralism.

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  60. I believe that the original debate among early philosophers and teachers about nature or nurture is one major contribution to Psychology. Socrates and Plato believed that ideas are inborn while Aristotle and Lock believed that at birth, the mind is a blank slate. Additionally, Descartes agreed that some ideas are inborn. In the field today, the same debate is the biggest issue. The debate poses many question that are still asked today. For example, "Are differences in human intelligence, personality, and psychological disorders influenced by heredity or by the environment?" "Are gender differences biologically predisposed or socially constructed?" The constant debate can be combined for the common ground answer that "Nurture works on what nature endows." The views of the ancient philosophers lead to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Therefore, the nature-nurture debate is a major issue/ contribution to the contemporary psychology.

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  61. I think that Aristotle played a huge role in shaping psychology in to what it is today. First he went against what what Socrates and Plato believed. He thought that the principles were based on logic and came from careful observations. He said that, "the soul is not separable form the body, and the holds good of paricular parts of the soul." He believed that we aquired the information from the experiences that we've been through and it is not preexisting. He studied a lot on emotion which is a big part of psychology. I believe that Aristotle had a big impact on starting the study of emotions.

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  62. I believe Aristotle was immensely influential in developing psychological science. Aristotle discovered that "principles by logic" wasn't as useful as data analysis, because the mind is not "black and white", as math is, it's more abstract. Aristotles' reasoning and discoveries helped psychologists and behaviorists more knowledgeable. Due to Aristotle branching off Socrates and Platos' "principles by logic" (pg2), psychological science is one of the largest branches of science today.

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  63. I think that the biggest contribution to making psychology what it is today was Wilhelm Wundt's first experiment of pyschology. Being that it as the first experiment ever done in this field, Wundt's experiment was a stepping stone for the study of how the mind works. He stated that he was studying the "atoms of the mind" and that they were the "fastest and simplest mental processes", making this experiment a good base to start out on. After this, psychology could build on the harder processes and go deeper into how the mind works. Wundt's experiment was a major contribution to shape psychology as it is today because he created a good stepping stone to build off of.

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  64. I think that Augustine played a major role in shaping modern psychology as he was one of the first psychologist to associate the mind with the body. Augustine wrote how the condition of the mind affects the condition of the body, which ultimately developed into the disciplines of structuralism and functionalism.

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  65. I believe that William James made a big contribution to psychology beacuse he was the first to consider the functions of our thoughts and feelings. He was the first one who questioned why our bodies do certain things, and since psychology has evolved to the science of behavioral and mental processes it is crucial to understand why our minds and bodies behave the way they do.

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  66. I believe William James made a conctribution to psychology that helped it evolve. Instead of following everyone elses' idea of the mind's structure, he decided to take his own path and think about the mind's functions. Also, he believed the human's consciousness and free will are important to our survival. He allowed people to think in a new direction, which helped shape psychology.

    Christina Wisniewski

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  67. One of the greatest contributors to the field of psychology is Willam James. He opposed the search for the elements of conciousness. He researched psychology from a practical approach instead of a purely scientific approach. He expanded psychology's research into the minds of children, animals, and the mentally ill. He made great strides in common concepts in psychology still being researched today such as, stream of conciousness, emotions, free will, and self-esteem.

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  68. A major contribution the psychology that has played a role in shaping the field is the change from a philosophical psychology to a scientific psychology. this was brought about by Wilhelm Wundt who created experimental situations to measure lag time for reactions. He was looking to measure the fastest and simplest mental processes. This was seen as the first psycholoy experiment. This is what changed psychology from a philosophical study to a scienfic study.

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  69. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt was a major contributer to modern psychology. His study was the beginning of actual scientific studies of how the mind works and reacts to stimuli. Before that the majority of psychological ideas came from observation and ideas. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt's experiment represented a large jump in the field of psychology to make it a more modern and scientific field of study.
    -Jessica L

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  70. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt role in psychology drastically changed the field. He founded the first labratory devoted solely to the study of psychology. This attracted scientists across the globe and was one of the first steps in defining psychology as a science. He also defised the first psychological experience, focusing mainly on inner complexities. Because of his focus on feelings and thought, psychology was redefined as "the science of mental life".

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  71. I believe that Sigmund Freud was a major contributor to the evolution of psychology. He introduced many concepts, techniques, and his theory of the Oedipal Complex has become a cultural icon. Some now famous Freudian innovations are the therapy couch, the use of talk therapy to resolve psychological problems, and his theories about unconscious. Freud, being the father of psychoanalysis, has helped shape psychology into the way it is today.

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  72. I believe a major contribution to psychology that helped shape it to what it is today is the work done by American psychologists John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner. Up until the 1920's, psychology just focused on the mental aspect of human nature. Between the 1920's and 1960's however, both Watson and Skinner began to explore the observable behavior of human beings. By researching and documenting people's actual emotional and physical reactions to certain situations, it helped expand the field of psychology and ultimately changed the way the word is defined today.

    - Jon N.

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  73. One major contribution to the field of psychology, and to human thought in general was John Locke's embrace of empiricism. Before Locke it was generally thought that knowledge could be gained through introspection, but Locke believed that knowledge came about only through experience, and thus merely contemplating a matter was not enough to gain insight, observations of the world were also necessary. This way of thinking was known as empiricism, and it laid the way for a more scientific study of psychology, and for more acceptance of science in all areas of life. Psychologists began to concentrate on experiments and data, rather than merely postulating.

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  74. One major contribution that occurred in history that helped play a role in shaping the field into what it is today is the 9/11/01 terrorist attack. The presence of terrorists and murders (even before the attack) helped create psychology become the field it is today because it made psychologists realize why people murder (whether it be for your religion or if your genes determine if you are more susceptible of being a murderer than someone else.) This event and the murdering of people helped make psychologists study the brains and genes and beliefs of murderers. Psychology not only studies why people are happy, but also studies why people murder.
    -Rachel Christman

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  75. I believe the most important contributor to the field of Psychology is Socrates. I say this based on the simple fact that he was the first of his kind. he was the first recorded mind to have thought outside the box. The first to ask the questions how? why? what? His example opened the door for countless of the future to walk through.

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  76. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt's experiment was one major contribution because it was the first major experiment that involved psychology. He also created the first major psychological laboratory in the world, and paved the way for future experiments and studies.

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  77. I believe that technology is one of the most influentical contributors to psychology. The use of computers and spreading this knowledge has informed the meadia and the public of the developments and importance of the matter.

    ~Tori Jacobs

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  78. Abraham Maslow has had a major impact in the field of psychology. He developed a way to display the way that the mind works based on human needs. Starting with essential needs, such as oxygen and water, and ending with self-actualization. Maslow put these needs into five broad layers in a pyramid form. Today many psychologists use Maslow's pyramid to determine what needs people are yearning for, so that the psychologists can satisfy their needs. Furthermore, Maslow used his own findings to portray motivation and personality, which many people carry into their own lives.

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  79. I believe that Wilheld Wundt had the largest contribution to the field of Psychology. His idea to begin experiments with the mind and really turn the field into a science opened up the many branches of Psychology. The branches that began to develope from Wundt's research helped broaden the field to what it is today. In my mind this has been the greatest contribution to Psychology to this day.

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  80. Socrates, an individual one can say is the father of psychology, ignited the pathway for this field of science. Having introduced the world to psychology and to be later handed down to other great philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, Socrates was indeed the foundation of this subject to be later evluated and evolvle to what it is today.

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  81. I think that one of the most important contributions to the field of psychology was the improvement in medical technology. As soon as we were able to understand the physical workings of the brain it was clearer that psychology not only involves the mental aspects of life, but also the physical. Scientists such as Carl Wernicke were able to prove this in experiments that showed that damaged parts of the brain affected things such as behavior and speech. The improvement in technology is an ongoing process that is still changing the way psychology is perceived in modern society.

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  82. Wilhelm Wundt shaped the field of psychology by the way he wanted to examine and to understand “mental life”. He did self examinations and looked into his own self for theories or answers. Psychology is one of the few sciences where someone can use themselves as a test subject. This gives the researcher a good advantage in trying to comprehend why people may do certain things or their reasoning behind it. Because of all the possibilities and different aspects that is involved in psychology, it continues to grow and expand to this day.

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  83. Wilhelm Wundt made a major contribution to Psychology that had a great role in shaping the field today. Wilhelm Wundt is often accredited as the founder of the science of Psychology, because he defined Psychology separately from Philosophy and Physiology. He also created the first Psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. With the establishment of a facility to study psychology, scientific experiments could be performed and the theories of Psychology could be defined. Experimentation still persists today due to the contributions of Wilhelm Wundt.

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  84. One of the most important contributions to the field of psychology, in my opinion, is the different theories that are formed. An example of one of these is the nature-nurture conflict. Ancient philosophers argued over whether or not it was one's personal experience or simply their nature (biological make-up) that influences their character and intelligence. These arguments and other similar debates contain ideas that I view to greatly shape the field of psychology.

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  85. I believe that the one major contribution to psychology is science. Psychology studies natures mysteries and scientific reasoning helps one to understand things about the human mind. I believe that science played a role in shaping psychology because theories had to be tested in order for psychologists to be sure about what they think.

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  86. One of psychology's greatest changes was contributed by Wilhelm Wundt. He changed the study of pyschology from a philosophical subject to a valid schience that coulod be proved through experimentation. His laboratory was the first ever to be entirely dedicated to experimental psychology, and it proved to be a model for later laboratories.

    -Becky K

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  87. I think that Wilhel Wundt is definitely a major contributer to psychology. He is even said to be the founder of psychology. He was the one who got other people interested. His labratories and experiments brought people into the field and made them have a passion for psychology. Because of him others began to have abstract thoughts and they formed the base of psychology.

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  88. I believe the curiosity from humans today has contributed to the psychology field today. Wilheld Wundt and his expiriments was a major opening for our culture. Many people today are interested in the reasoning behind our thoughts and actions.

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  89. One major contribution that I believe really impacted the educational structure of psychology is the constant arguments and different believes of the forefathers of psychology. For example Socrates and Plato believed that the mind was seprable from the body. On the contrast, Aristotle and Augustine believed that the body and mind were connected. Arguments like these created controversy and allowed the field of psychology to expand. The expansion of psychology allowed for more information to be put into the field that was never even considered in the beginning. Because Socrates, Plato, and Descartes disagreed with The Hebrews, Aristotle, and Augustine, psycholgy became a field that could e constantly updated. With these arguments between the body and mind, it made psychology a modern field of study. Psychology will alwys be able to change and new ideas and hypothesis can be tested.

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  90. One of psychology’s major contributors is Carl Wernicke, Carl proves this with his discovery of the “Wernicke’s area”. The “Wernicke’s area” is in the left temporal lobe of the brain. This area causes disruptions in the ability to comprehend spoken or written language when damaged. Another contribution Carl made was the model he created of language. This then opened up more ideas on the brain.

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  91. One major contributuion to field of psychology that is over looked is that of G. Stanley Hall's contribution to the field of education and adolescents. His scientific work and research hepled to found the YMCA, which has changed our world dramatically for children all over the USA. Furthermore, he also founded the first psychological journal in America, "The American Journal of Psychology" in 1887. Through this America was able to be exposed to new psychology findings and advancements. therfore, G. Stanley Hall made major contributions to shaping psychology into the field it is today.

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  92. I believe that Wilhelm Wundt was one of the major contributors to Psychology today as his experiment was the first major experiment to deal with pschology and how the mind and body reacts to sound. (the fastest and simplest mental process) Also Wundt launched the first pschological labratory ever and this led the way to further studies and tests in this science. He was like the father of pschology.

    -Owen Jones

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  93. I believe that the teachings of Socrates greatly influenced the ideas involved in modern psychology. His thoughts sparked the interest in others to explore the mind and human behaviors. His contributions to the field set the foundation for psychology today.
    - Caitlin Pfeifer

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  94. I believe that the thought of plato has had a gret influence on the field of psychology today. Even though there was not any research to support what he believed, he was one of the first to come up with the ideas of philosophy, which later turned into psychology
    -talitha poore

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  95. I believe that John Locke made a major contribution to modern psychology. He came up with the idea that the mind was formed by experiences that shape the individual. Unlike Descartes who believed in innate ideas. John Locke's ideas is what helps us find out what we need to become individuals today.

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  96. Charles Darwin sparked the interest for the evolution of species. I believe his idea of natural selection was a great contribution to Psychology because his ideas soon led to the findings of animal behaviors, as well as animal structures.
    Desiree Pena

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  97. Wilhelm Wundt contributed to the development of psychology as a science by performing the first psychology experiments and launching the first psychology laboratory.

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  99. I believe that one big contributor in shaping the field of psychology is Wilhelm Wundt. He is the first person to conduct psychological experiments in the first psychology lab, which is in the University of Leipzig.

    -Sam Hensley

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  100. One major contribution the has helped shape the field of psychology is John Locke's theory of the mind being a blank slate wen you r born, and the it is filled through experiences that the person goes through in their life.

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  101. The contribution that I believe had the most impact was Aristotle's thinking. He said, "the soul is not separable from the body, and the same holds good of particular parts of the soul." This idea was profound at the time but time proved him correct. The idea still holds true and has set the groundwork for Psychology today

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  102. According to me, there were two very important people involved in the contribution of psychology; Carl Jung and Phineas Gage. The latter was significant because he was the first person to have a frontal lobotomy (by accident). Due to the accident that had occured, details concerning the brain and which parts are involved with emotional reasoning were revealed. And to my understanding, psychology is partly the study of the brain and the emotional and mental processes that occur within it. I also believe Carl Jung was a prominent figure towards psychology because of his discovery to the realization of the conscious and unconscious awareness within people. He also contributed in the fact that mankind was full of archetypes, different personalities, behaviors and models of a person. He also introduced libido, which was the psychological energy of a person towards his or her individuation. He had also studied the process of dreaming and interpreting what they meant.

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  103. One major contribution to modern psychology is John Locke and Bacon's development of empiricism. This was the first form of psychology to base knowledge on experiance and require observation and experimentation to prove ideas.

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  104. A major contributor to shaping the field of psychology into what it is today was Wilhelm Wundt because he was namely the creator of psychology according to historians. He founded the first experimental labratory for psychology in 1879.

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  105. Wilhelm Wundt was a major contributer to shaping psychology into what it is today. He was the first person to actually perform ewxperiments in a lab, and was also documented as being the createrof psychology.

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  106. I believe that Aristotle was the greatest contributions to modern psychology. Because of his love of data and learning through observation, he was the first to back up his theories with proven facts. William Wundt later used this idea to perform the first experiment, expanding the science of psychology even further.

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