Ebbinghaus said this because psychology’s questions go back to the ancients

Returning to the Berlin Psychological Institute, he found Gestalt psychology interesting but had a more applied focus.

• Two papers on the laborer in agriculture and industry.
• In 1919 he returned to the idea of life space, comparing agricultural and industrial spaces.
• He criticized the time-and-motion studies of Frederick Winslow Taylor (Principles of Scientific Management), arguing work has life value and must be humanized.
• He inspired Zeigarnik’s research on waiter’s recall.

An individual is a complex energy field, a dynamic system of needs and tensions directing behavior:

• An individual is a complex energy field, a dynamic system of needs and tensions directing behavior:

• where behavior (B) is a function f of a person (P) interacting with an environment (E).

• Each person moves in a life space that contains goals with positive or negative valence.

• Goals create vectors that attract or repel.

• He used non-quantitative geometry to represent this

Lewin criticized statistical approaches to child behavior and conceptions of “the average child.”

• Lewin criticized statistical approaches to child behavior and conceptions of “the average child.”

• The totality of a child’s life must be studied and since each life space is different, using intensive case study.

• An infant’s life space is small and undifferentiated but grows larger and more differentiated with age.

• Lewin conducted detour studies similar to Kohler but used topology to explain the results.

• “Environmental Forces in Child Behavior & Development.”

Lewin left Germany because of Hitler & anti-semitism at the Univ. of Berlin.

• Lewin left Germany because of Hitler & anti-semitism at the Univ. of Berlin.

• Ogden (Kulpe’s student) got him a 2-yr job at Cornell in home economics studying eating habits of children.

• Lewin tried for an appointment at Hebrew Univ. studying displacement of Jews but Freud opposed it

• He was appointed at the Univ. of Iowa’s Children Welfare Research Station under a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

People reach for the pie at the back of the counter.

• People reach for the pie at the back of the counter.

• The amount of effort expended strengthens the valence of a goal – goals become more attractive with effort.

• Under conditions of frustration, children’s behavior becomes dedifferentiated (regresses to an early stage).

• Authoritarian vs democratic leadership styles have a strong influence on children’s behavior.

• Authoritarian styles lead to more child aggression.

In this too, he stressed democracy over autocracy.

• In this too, he stressed democracy over autocracy.

• Lewin used “action research” – reflective team problem solving -- to diagnose productivity problems in Harwood Manufacturing.

• Workers felt productivity goals were unachievable.
• When allowed to set their own goals and solve their own productivity problems, in improved considerably.

• Lewin used this approach in his own lab, stating that he could not think productively as an individual.

With Margaret Mead, he showed that group discussions led to more behavior change (eating visceral meats) than facts her in dynamic lectures.

• With Margaret Mead, he showed that group discussions led to more behavior change (eating visceral meats) than facts her in dynamic lectures.

• He also worked on propaganda, leadership, military morale, and rehabilitation issues.
• William Wyler’s “The Best Years of Our Lives”
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU0d3DVcKoY&NR=1

• To better carry out his activities he founded the Research Center for Group Dynamics at MIT.

Ways to increase group productivity and counter the tendency of groups to stray from their goals.

• Ways to increase group productivity and counter the tendency of groups to stray from their goals.

• Studies of communication and the spread of rumors.

• Areas of social perception and interpersonal relations, group membership and individual adjustment.

• Studies in leadership training, leading to the formation of T groups (training groups) designed to open communication and combat prejudice.

Founded the Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) for the American Jewish Congress to conduct studies of discrimination.

• Founded the Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) for the American Jewish Congress to conduct studies of discrimination.

• Interviews with customers of black or white clerks showed no effect of race on sales.
• This finding was publicized to combat job discrimination

• Interviews with people in integrated vs segregated housing projects showed greater pride & community, less suspicion & hostility in the integrated projects.

• Most positive results were for 70% black occupancy.