Deck 1: Past for Present: Psychology in Search of a Paradigm

Question 1

Generally, what is a paradigm, and how are they used to give definition to psychology?

Answer 1

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Question 2

The enduring questions of psychology were presented as continua anchored by dichotmous positions. What are the possible points on each continuum between the anchors?

Answer 2

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Question 3

What is at issue in the tension involving competing sources of knowledge in psychology?

Answer 3

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Question 4

Consider the functions of psychology within contemporary society. How many different levels of functions can you enumerate? Relate these levels of functions to the subject matter of psychology. What is the commonality?

Question 5

Give examples from current news events that could be characterized as examples of
either "great persons" or "zeitgeist" interpretations of historical or social progress.

Question 6

The specialization of the history of psychology within the general discipline implicitly recognizes the benefits of understanding historical context. Can you think of some intellectual dangers that psychologists should be aware of when studying their own history?

Question 7

Defend or refute the argument that psychology is neither a "soft" nor a "hard" science, but rather a bridge between the social sciences, on the one hand, and the natural/physical sciences on the other.

Question 8

In the cycles of the development of new paradigms within science, according to Kuhn, what factors would be especially critical in the initiation of the quest for a new paradigm and the final settlement on a new paradigm?