July 5, 2015 Elizabeth and Stephany

1)         A Brief History of Modern Psychology written by Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr discusses sensory physiology that was used to help the earliest psychologist better understand how humans use their senses through gaining knowledge and how the mind incorporates the function of the senses. Multiple questions were raised about senses and how, or if, they differed from person to person and impacted our processing of knowledge. Vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch were the 5 senses that were the focus of research at this time.

            Advanced knowledge on optical technology allowed more information on color vision to be explored. In 1852 Hermann von Helmholtz was able to expand on a previous theory called Trichromatic Theory, produced by Thomas Young. This theory stated that “three kinds of fibers in the retina that were differentially sensitive to red, green, and blue light” (Benjamin 31). This new theory was only able to explain color blindness and color mixture. This lack of new discovery prompted the necessity of a new proposed theory. Edwald Hering proposed the opponent process theory. Here it was suggested that 3 separate chemicals substances that were located in the retina that were either built up or broken down. This theory was suggested by Hering, stating that there are three color receptors, each taking care of different perception of color (blue-yellow perception, red-green, or black-white). This theory proposed by Hering was able to explain phenomena that were still a mystery in the research of color vision. By the 1960s it was concluded that Young-Helmholtz theory was useful for color vision on a retina level and the opponent process theory was important in knowing “the way color information was processed in the lateral geniculate body of the thalamus, a major relay station from the eye to the visual cortex of the brain”(Benjamin 31). One of the senses Physiologist looked into was vision more specifically color vision. Helmholtz suggested a theory called young-helmholtz theory, or previously known as trichromatic theory. This theory suggested that different fibers are effected differently to different color light, such as red, green, and blue. These two different theories were pinned against each other for multiple years. By the 1960s it was decided that each theory was still important and accurate, but for different characteristics of color vision.  

Young-Helmholtz’s theory answered questions on the retinal level such as how color blindness works and color mixture. On the other hand, Opponent Process Theory answered questions how color was processed. In addition, this theory constituted yellow as a primary color. These two different theories were pinned against each other for multiple years. By the 1960s it was decided that each theory was still important and accurate, but for different characteristics of color vision.  

           

2) Timeline: 1894 was the year that James McKeen Cattell was appointed owner and publisher of the journal Science. Although this was a huge job and extremely time consuming this position offered an amazing opportunity for Cattell to introduce psychology into the science community. Once information pertaining to psychology was available to the scientific community and the educated lay community that were able to read the journal, psychology scientific visibility was granted to this up and coming science that was desperate for establishment before it failed.

3) Science Museum http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

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