EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

As a teacher, we will touch the future, because children are the future of any society. In this,
we explore what the field of educational psychology is all about and how it can help us
contribute positively to children’s futures.
Educational psychology is the application of psychological objectives within educational
systems and psychological education as I distinguish here is application of educational
objectives in psychological processes. The first focus of using psychology in education is
more general and the second approach of using education in psychology is more
individualistic. However as far as present study of educational approach to psychology is
concerned, there is no difference between individualistic educational psychology and general
educational psychology and all interrelationships between psychology and education are
considered within the broad discipline of educational psychology.

EVOLUTION OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

The approaches that psychologists have used to assess the issues that interest them have
changed dramatically over the evolution of psychology. Perhaps most importantly, the field
has moved steadily from speculation about behavior toward a more objective and scientific
approach as the technology available to study human behavior has improved (Benjamin &
Baker, 2004).

1.Early Psychologists
The earliest psychologists that we know about are the Greek philosophers Plato (428–347
BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC). These philosophers asked many of the same questions that
today’s psychologists ask; for instance, they questioned the distinction between nature and
nurture and the existence of free will. In terms of the former, Plato argued on the nature side,
believing that certain kinds of knowledge are innate or inborn, whereas Aristotle was more on
the nurture side, believing that each child is born as an “empty slate” (in Latin a tabula rasa)
and that knowledge is primarily acquired through learning and experience.
But dramatic changes came during the 1800s with the help of the first two research
psychologists: the German psychologist Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), who developed a
psychology laboratory in Leipzig, Germany, and the American psychologist William James
(1842–1910), who founded a psychology laboratory at Harvard University.

2.Structuralism: Introspection and the Awareness of Subjective Experience

Wundt’s research in his laboratory in Liepzig focused on the nature of consciousness itself.
Wundt and his students believed that it was possible to analyze the basic elements of the
mind and to classify our conscious experiences scientifically. Wundt began the field known
as structuralism, a school of psychology whose goal was to identify the basic elements or
“structures” of psychological experience. Its goal was to create a “periodic table” of the
“elements of sensations,” similar to the periodic table of elements that had recently been
created in chemistry.
Structuralists used the method of introspection to attempt to create a map of the elements of
consciousness. Introspection involves asking research participants to describe exactly what
they experience as they work on mental tasks, such as viewing colors, reading a page in a
book, or performing a math problem. Perhaps the best known of the structuralists was
Edward Bradford Titchener (1867–1927). Titchener was a student of Wundt who came to the
United States in the late 1800s and founded a laboratory at Cornell University.

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3.Functionalism and Evolutionary Psychology
In contrast to Wundt, who attempted to understand the nature of consciousness, the goal of
William James and the other members of the school of functionalism was to understand why
animals and humans have developed the particular psychological aspects that they currently
possess (Hunt, 1993). For James, one’s thinking was relevant only to one’s behavior.
James and the other members of the functionalist school were influenced by Charles
Darwin’s (1809–1882) theory of natural selection, which proposed that the physical
characteristics of animals and humans evolved because they were useful, or functional.

4.Psychodynamic Psychology
Perhaps the school of psychology that is most familiar to the general public is
the psychodynamic approach to understanding behavior, which was championed by Sigmund
Freud (1856–1939) and his followers. Psychodynamic psychology is an approach to
understanding human behavior that focuses on the role of unconscious thoughts, feelings,
and memories. Freud developed his theories about behavior through extensive analysis of the
patients that he treated in his private clinical practice. Freud believed that many of the
problems that his patients experienced, including anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction,
were the result of the effects of painful childhood experiences that the person could no longer
remember.Freud’s ideas were extended by other psychologists whom he influenced,
including Carl Jung (1875–1961), Alfred Adler (1870–1937), Karen Horney (1855–1952),
and Erik Erikson (1902–1994).

5.Behaviorism and the Question of Free Will

Although they differed in approach, both structuralism and functionalism were essentially
studies of the mind. The psychologists associated with the school of behaviorism, on the
other hand, were reacting in part to the difficulties psychologists encountered when they tried
to use introspection to understand behavior. Behaviorism is a school of psychology that is
based on the premise that it is not possible to objectively study the mind, and therefore that
psychologists should limit their attention to the study of behavior itself. The first behaviorist
was the American psychologist John B. Watson (1878–1958). Watson was influenced in
large part by the work of the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov (1849–1936). The most
famous behaviorist was Burrhus Frederick (B. F.) Skinner (1904–1990), who expanded the
principles of behaviorism and also brought them to the attention of the public at large.

6.The Cognitive Approach

Science is always influenced by the technology that surrounds it, and psychology is no
exception. Thus it is no surprise that beginning in the 1960s, growing numbers of
psychologists began to think about the brain and about human behavior in terms of the
computer, which was being developed and becoming publicly available at that time. The
analogy between the brain and the computer, although by no means perfect, provided part of
the impetus for a new school of psychology called cognitive psychology. Cognitive
psychology is a field of psychology that studies mental processes, including perception,
thinking, memory, and judgment. These actions correspond well to the processes that
computers perform.

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Although cognitive psychology began in earnest in the 1960s, earlier psychologists had also
taken a cognitive orientation. Some of the important contributors to cognitive psychology
include the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850–1909), who studied the ability
of people to remember lists of words under different conditions, and the English psychologist
Sir Frederic Bartlett (1886–1969), who studied the cognitive and social processes of
remembering.

7.Social-Cultural Psychology
A final school, which takes a higher level of analysis and which has had substantial impact on
psychology, can be broadly referred to as the social-cultural approach. The field of social-
cultural psychology is the study of how the social situations and the cultures in which people
find themselves influence thinking and behavior. Social-cultural psychologists are particularly
concerned with how people perceive themselves and others, and how people influence each
other’s behaviour.

Educational Implications

 Learning purposeful & goal oriented.

 Motivation to the learner
 Acquaint with specific aims & purposes of the learning.
 Emphasis on situation as a whole – maxim from whole to parts.
Example: To learn or memorize a poem, present as a whole. After being read &
understood as a whole, break into parts or stanzas as for effective memorized.
 Organization of a perceptual fields & learning material as a whole.
 Learning cannot be related to subject or skill. It should be collection of isolated facts,
informations or unrelated behaviuoral acts. Contributes in organization of curriculum,
scheme of studies, work plan & procedure of planning the schedule of learning or
teaching of a skill or a behavior.
 Distinction between a psychological & a logical order of presentation.
Example: to teach matter we have to proceed as subelectronic particles electrons,
atoms molecules and matter.
 Problem solving attitude develops
 Encourages reasoning, develops thinking & trains imagination & creative activity.

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 Key Takeaways/ Summary

 The first psychologists were philosophers, but the field became more empirical and
objective as more sophisticated scientific approaches were developed and employed.
 Some basic questions asked by psychologists include those about nature versus
nurture, free will versus determinism, accuracy versus inaccuracy, and conscious
versus unconscious processing.
 The structuralists attempted to analyze the nature of consciousness using
introspection.
 The functionalists based their ideas on the work of Darwin, and their approaches led
to the field of evolutionary psychology.
 The behaviorists explained behavior in terms of stimulus, response, and
reinforcement, while denying the presence of free will.
 Cognitive psychologists study how people perceive, process, and remember
information.
 Psychodynamic psychology focuses on unconscious drives and the potential to
improve lives through psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.
 The social-cultural approach focuses on the social situation, including how cultures
and social norms influence our behavior.

REFERENCES

1. Sprinthall, R. C. & Sprinthall (1981). Educational Psychology. California, Addison-

Wesley Publishing Company.
2. Glover, J, & Ronning, R. (Ed.). (1987). Historical foundations of educational
psychology. New York, NY: Plenum Press.
3. James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. New York, NY: Dover.
4. Hunt, M. (1993). The story of psychology. New York, NY: Anchor Books
5. John.W.Santrock (2000). Educational Psychology. McGraw-Hill Education.

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 Timeline Showing Some of the Most Important Psychologists.

Although it cannot capture every important psychologist, this timeline shows some of the
most important contributors to the history.

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 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. The primary aim of educational psychology is
(a) To contribute to an understanding of sound educational practices

(b) To provide the teacher with a greater appreciation of his role in the education of
the child.

(c) To provide the academic background essential for effective teaching.

(d) To provide a theoretical framework for educational research.

2. According to Psychology, all education is

a) Deliberate.

(b) Functional.

(c) Purposive.

(d) Self –education

3. Who said this, “The boundaries of Educational Psychology are unlimited and
changing?”
(a) William James

(b) Gates

(c) Hurlock

(d) None of these

4. The major contribution educational psychology might be expected to make

towards modern education lies in area of
(a) A clarification of the goals of modern education.

(b) A re-evaluation of the principles of progressivism.

(c) A reconsideration of educational experiences from the stand point of their

contribution to pupil growth.

(d) A refinement of the research techniques through which educational

problems might be solved.

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5. Educational Psychology is branch of Psychology. Psychology is a science. Who is
the father of experimental Psychology?
(a) Boring

(b) Hull

(c) Wundt

(d) Tolman.

6. Where was first Experimental psychology Laboratory set up?

(a) Berlin

(b) Boston

(c) Frankfurt

(d) Leipzig.

7. Introspection as a method stands rejected by

(a) Functional school.

(b) Behaviourists.

(c) Psychoanalysts.

(d) Gestalt.

8. Educational psychology is concerned with

(a) The learner.

(b) The learning process.

(c) The learning situation.

(d) All of these.

9. Some authors classify methods of educational psychology as

(a) Distal method.

(b) Proximal method.

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(c) A and b are true.

(d) Neither a nor b are true.

10. The content of educational psychology includes

(a) Special items concerning teaching and learning.

(b) Wide ranging items concerning human motivation and learning.

(c) Special items concerning processes of education in particular.

(d) None of these.

11. Which of the following is not a function of educational psychology?

(a) To discover techniques by means of which educational goals can be attained
effectively

(b) To define the goals for which education is to strive

(c) To promote a greater understanding of the learning process

(d) To promote a greater understanding of the learner.

12. Which of the following is primary concern to educational psychologist?

(a) The formulation of hypothesis

(b) The discovery of practical solutions to educational problems

(c) The development of professional insights into the principles underlying the
teaching art

(d) The discovery of teaching procedures of maximum effectiveness.

13. Educational psychology should provide prospective teachers with

(a) Insight into the various aspects of modern education.

(b) Principles, insights and attitudes as points of departure for effective teaching.

(c) Research procedures by means of which to evaluate correct teaching

procedures.

(d) Validate procedures to use in their teachings.

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 TEACHER’S COPY
Name:
Date:

Evolution of Educational Psychology

’D
E 'H
V U
E V

O N

'C L

Across Down
1. The branch of psychology that deals with the understanding and treating

personal 3. The school of thought in

psychology that deals with the function of consciousness problems and correct
abnormal behavior . 5. This school of psychology
emphasizes human processes particularly t he uniqueness of
2. The school of thoug ht in psychology that is concerned with the

unconscious motive of the individual, the validity of subjective experi ence,

freedom of choice, and the behavior tendency of each
individual to strive to realize his or her potential.
4. Most prominent functionalist. 6. This field of psychology
is concerned with changes
t hat take place in people
duri ng thei r life span, as
they grow from birth to old

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 Rubrics
Assignment (20 Mark)
Topic : Evolution of Educational Psychology Score : 67/70 points

Group Members : Individual Assignment (Zainab Jabin)

Note: Reference and proper citation is mandatory.

You will be evaluated on the following criteria using a rating scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being
low, and 10 being high. Final Score will be converted into percentage.
Criteria 1-2 3-6 7-10 Rating
Organization of Difficult to tell where Some organization Strong introduction, 10
group was going. One evident. body and
Presentation person dominated Uneven conclusion.
participation. Everyone
participates.

Content Knowledge Little or superficial Some content In-depth knowledge 10

knowledge of content. mastery is evident. of the content is
Retold information obvious. Included
from the text information not
found in the text.
Application of No real connection A few general Excellent, creative 9
between theory and suggestions on suggestions for
Theory practice using the theory. using theory.

Handout and Soft The handout needed The handout Excellent, clear, 10
more work and effort. provided satisfactory informative summary
copy Incomplete or summary of theory. of key points.
disorganized. Memorable.
References were
included.
Concept Unimaginative or Adequate visual Creative, clear, 10
sloppy work; difficult representation; memorable, visual
Map/Diagram/Slide to understand; not referred to summary of key
used effectively as occasionally as part points of theory; well
part of presentation. of presentation. integrated into
Not included with presentation &
handout included in handout.
1 map/diagram/slide
only.
Multiple Choice Factual or superficial Covering Facts, Covering facts, 9
work understanding and understanding and
Question (at least 10 application, no high application. Focus
question) order thinking skill on High order
thinking skills
Crossword Puzzle Cover a few aspect of Cover some aspect Cover major aspect 9
topic of topic of topic

Evaluator: _________________________________
Please briefly finish the following statements on the back of this form:

(1) Here is the list of way I helped my group to complete this assignment. (2) From this
assignment I learned.
It was an individual assignment. I enjoyed doing the whole assignment work in a little
different method as the instructions for doing this assignment were different and innovative.
My topic was “ Evolution of Educational Psychology” and had go through various books and
readings by which now am able to have a depth knowledge of hoe Educational Psychology
came into existence.it was learning experience in a creative way.

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CONCEPT MAP

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