Psychology as a scientific discipline is the scientific study of and behavior.

Context: Definition and Scope of Psychology

The Greek root means spirit or soul and forms the basis of the word 'psychology'.

Context: Etymology of the Term 'Psychology'

A work titled (1732) identified psychology as an empirical science.

Context: Etymology and Early Definitions

William James defined psychology (1890) as the science of mental life, both of its phenomena and their .

Context: Etymology and Early Definitions (James)

John B. Watson (1913) promoted a methodological behaviorist view with the goal of and control of behavior.

Context: Behaviorism as a Methodological Stance

Behaviorism treats psychology as a purely objective experimental branch focused on prediction and control of .

Context: Behaviorism as a Methodological Stance

Psychophysics studies how perception varies with stimulus intensity using experimental methods.

Context: Psychophysics and Quantitative Measurement

Fechner’s psychophysics research showed perception can be quantified experimentally, which led to psychology shifting toward quantitative experimental study of the .

Context: Cause→Effect Relationship (Fechner → experimental psychology)

Wundt established a psychological laboratory focused on breaking down mental processes into basic components, which caused experimental psychology to spread and become institutionalized. The mechanism was that laboratories provided controlled settings and training that enabled other researchers and countries to adopt approaches.

Context: Cause→Effect Relationship (Wundt → institutionalization)

The law states that human perception varies logarithmically with stimulus intensity.

Context: Weber–Fechner Law

Structuralism aims to analyze and classify mind aspects primarily through .

Context: Major Schools: Structuralism

Functionalism emphasizes the usefulness of behavior to the individual, influenced by Darwinian ideas; it is associated with and Dewey.

Context: Major Schools: Functionalism

Gestalt psychology proposes that experience is organized as unified rather than sums of parts.

Context: Major Schools: Gestalt Psychology

Gestalt psychology argued experience is unified as wholes, which caused psychologists to move away from reducing experience to sums of parts; the mechanism is that Gestaltists treat whole-part relationships as meaningful, implying different analytical strategies than component .

Context: Cause→Effect Relationship (Gestalt → away from sums of parts)

Folk psychology is ordinary people’s understanding of mental states and behaviors, contrasted with psychology.

Context: Common Confusion: Folk vs Scientific/Professional Psychology