Maricopa Community Colleges  PSY205   19954-20086 
Official Course Description: MCCCD Approval: 07/22/08
PSY205 19954-20086 LEC 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s)
Philosophical Foundations of Psychology
An examination of the philosophical traditions that have culminated in the modern field of psychology. Selected contemporary philosophical issues in psychology considered.
Prerequisites: PSY101 with a grade of C or better, or permission of Instructor.
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MCCCD Official Course Competencies:
 
PSY205   19954-20086 Philosophical Foundations of Psychology
1. Identify the fundamental issues and concepts in ancient philosophy and their relevance to the development of psychology. (I)
2. Describe the major philosophical concepts and issues in modern science and philosophy and their relevance to the development of psychology. (II)
3. Describe the early developments in physiology and the rise of experimental psychology. (III)
4. Describe the influence of evolutionary theory on the development of psychology. (IV)
5. Describe the development of gestalt psychology in Germany and the United States. (V)
6. Describe the antecedents to and development of functionalism. (IV, VI)
7. Describe the development of behaviorism and neobehaviorism. (VII)
8. Describe the early history of clinical psychology and the development of psychoanalysis. (VIII)
9. Describe the development of humanistic psychology. (IX)
10. Describe the development of contemporary areas of psychology, including cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence. (X)
11. Describe the current developments in philosophy of science and their relevance to contemporary psychology. (X)
12. Describe the development in contemporary sciences and their influence and relevance to contemporary psychology. (X)
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MCCCD Official Course Outline:
 
PSY205   19954-20086 Philosophical Foundations of Psychology
    I. The Early Greek Philosophy
        A. The pre-Socratics
        B. Plato
        C. The Sophists
        D. Aristotelian and post-Aristotelian Philosophy
      II. Influence of Modern Science and Philosophy on Psychology
          A. Medieval Ages and Development of Renaissance
          B. Rise of the Scientific Method
          C. Descartes
          D. Empiricism, Sensationalism and Positivism
          E. Rationalism
          F. Phenomenology and the Forerunners of Process Philosophy
          G. Other Epistemological and Ontological Developments
        III. Early Developments in Physiology and the Rise of Experimental Psychology
            A. Early Research
              1. Brain Functioning
              2. Physics
            B. Voluntarism
            C. Structuralism
          IV. Evolutionary/Functional Theory
              A. Darwin, Spencer, Lamarck and neo-Darwinism
              B. Romaines, McDougall, Morgan and Baldwin
              C. Intelligence Test
                1. Uses
                2. Abuses
            V. Gestalt Theory
                A. Philosophical Antecedents
                B. In Germany
                C. In the United States
              VI. Functionalism
                  A. Early Forerunners
                  B. Jams and Hall
                  C. Functionalism at the University of Chicago
                  D. Funcionalism at Columbia
                VII. Behaviorism and Neobehaviorism
                    A. Watson to Skinner
                  VIII. Clinical Psychology and Psychoanalysis
                      A. Freudian Psychology
                      B. Neo-Freudian Alternatives
                    IX. Existentialism, Phenomenology and Humanistic Psychology
                        A. Philosophical Influences
                        B. Maslow, Rogers and Kelly
                      X. Contemporary Psychology
                          A. Diversity of Fields
                          B. Piaget
                          C. Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence
                          D. Contemporary Philosophical Influences on Psychology
                            1. Systems Theories
                            2. Contemporary Evolutionary Theories
                            3. Contemporary Philosophy of Science
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