This volume consists of 15 chapters, each presenting a different segment of modern psychology. Topics range from biochemistry to the history of art, from epistemological arguments to the interplay of science and society; research methods include comparative, developmental, physiological, clinical and statistical modelling. Each chapter also links current efforts to a shared history. Progress in these diverse activities is presented as the natural outgrowth of a common outlook on scientific psychology - a viewpoint known as functionalism, first articulated around the turn of the century by William James, John Dewey, James Rowland Angell, Harvey Carr and others. Part 1 takes a broad, historical perspective on the role of functionalism in the development of scientific psychology. Essays here discuss the emergence of the functionalist perspective; the importance of the functionalists’ appreciation of societal problems to the rapid progress and future contributions of psychology. Part 2 presents current research emphasising biological aspects of psychological phenomena. It includes chapters on the evolutionary perspective that motivates comparative studies of behaviour and cognition; clinical neuropsychology; how the coordinated development of psychophysiological and behavioural methods have provided insights in medicine and space travel; and research on the development of the nervous system. The next part focuses on phenomena of mental life by sampling current research on perception, cognition and development - the functionalist perspective in studies of cognitive development in children; changes in mental function that occur later in life and comprise a major challenge to research in cognitive gerontology; how one can best describe the structure of intelligence; and how the evolution of Western art reveals historic parallels between artistic expression and theories of perception. Part 4 studies research on the interactions among people - the domain of social phenomena. Essays investigate the adaptive nature of social interactions; the social characteristics of giving and receiving; and how the behavioural effects of marijuana and patterns of usage vary by environment and social context.
