AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The origins of functionalism are traced back to William James, the renowned American psychologist of the late 19th century. James was heavily influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution, and was critical of the structural approach to psychology that had dominated the field since its inception.

Detailed explanation-2: -Functionalism is the study of how th mind functions and how the organism uses it in the environment. Darwin influences functionalism by saying an organism adapt to their environment to survive as the physical characteristics of animals and humans evolved because they are helpful and functional.

Detailed explanation-3: -In response to structuralism, an American perspective known as functionalism emerged from thinkers such as the evolutionist Charles Darwin and William James.

Detailed explanation-4: -Functionalists, including psychologists William James and James Rowland Angell, and philosophers George H. Mead, Archibald L. Moore, and John Dewey, stressed the importance of empirical, rational thought over an experimental, trial-and-error philosophy.

Detailed explanation-5: -Today, functionalism still relies heavily on research methods first developed by behaviorists. Functionalism also influenced behaviorism because it was one of the first schools of thought to take a scientific approach to psychology and to show how psychology could be studied using scientific methods.