During the twentieth century, psychology developed into a broad field of study. Social and Developmental Psychology, Individual Differences, and Clinical Psychology became important areas of research. In the United States, a new generation of Psychologists, inspired by Pavlov’s experiments, rejected philosophical examination in favor of a scientific study of behavior. Meanwhile, in Europe Freud’s theories of the Unconscious and Psychoanalysis proved very influential, but were also seen by many to be lacking in rigor.
In Germany, psychologists in particular followed in Wilhelm Wundt‘s tradition of experimental psychology, studying perception and countering behaviorism and psychoanalysis. They focused on cognitive processes rather than behavior and studied how things fit together. In the second half of the twentieth century, this emphasis on cognition grew into dominance alongside an increased interest in biopsychology, which was prompted by new brain imaging methods.
