The combination of these factors established a basic foundation for looking at the entire impact of specific ideas and events on the individual's cognitive system. (James, 2005, pp. 45 -- 132) John Dewey was able to take these ideas and theorized that the social environment will have an impact on: the activities of the mind and ultimately individual behavior. At the heart of his beliefs, was the view that psychologists should move away from stimulus-based responses and towards understanding the entire neural pathway. This is when psychologists can comprehend how certain thoughts are impacting the behavior of the person. These principles are illustrating how Dewey was building off of the ideas from James to expand the role of functionalism. (James, 2005, pp. 179 -- 268)

James Angell took the ideas of Dewey and expanded upon them. Under this philosophy, he identified three major points of functionalism to include: studying the entire thought process / behavior in conjunction with each other, there needs to be an effective...

The combination of these factors is expanding the definition of functionalism to include the total mind -- body experience (as a part of understanding the emotions and feelings of the individual). (Simon, 1996, pp. 32 -- 38)
Clearly, American functionalism was based upon William James creating a basic philosophy. Dewey and Angell took these ideas one step further to create a school of thought that is focused on the overall experience of emotions and ideas (in association with the physical sensations). This is providing a more in depth way of understanding how a person will react to a host of stimuli.

References

Functionalism. (2006). Stanford University. Retrieved from: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/functionalism/

James, W. (2005). James and Dewey. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Simon, L. (1996). William James Remembered. Lincoln,…