Psychology as a science has developed over a long period of time, literally centuries. During this period, many individuals have had an impact on the development of psychology as a science. In this essay I am going to explore several scientists and describe their contributions to psychology. These scientists are considered to be some of the most important individuals in this field. .
One of the scientists I consider to have a big impact on psychology is Wilhelm Wundt. He founded the school of structuralism. This concept evolved from the development of the scientific method of experimentation. Structuralism attempted to discover the nature of consciousness into separate parts, and to ultimately discover the structure of consciousness. Wundt held the first academic course in psychology in 1862, and set up the first experimental laboratory where he conducted a series of experiments to determine the dimensions of feeling and perception. .
Another great psychologist was Ivan Pavlov. He was born in Russia and his parents encouraged him to be a priest. In his studies, he discovered that he cared more for scientific pursuits. He then began to study chemistry and physiology and soon began researching topics that interested him the most: digestion and blood circulation. His work became well known, and he was appointed professor of physiology at the Imperial Medical Academy. The work that made Pavlov a household mane in psychology actually began as a study of digestion. He looked at the digestive process in dogs, especially salivation. In his study he experimented with different types of conditioning, which is the process of learning from environmental events and responses.
The next scientist I will discuss is B.F. Skinner. Skinner went to Harvard to study psychology and always enjoyed observing behaviors of humans and animals. He became a behaviorist who studied observable behaviors pertaining to the process of learning.