The present study sought to identify the epistemological bases present in the beginnings of psychology in Copiapó, Chile, at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. Historical research was carried out that included the review of bibliographic sources and their descriptive-interpretative analysis. The results show the influence of the educational model of the Berlin School and how the positivism of Auguste Comte was decisive in the formation of psychology in Chile. Key figures such as Valentín Letelier, Juan Serapio Lois and Rómulo Peña Maturana played a crucial role in this process. The adoption of these philosophical models and currents not only modernized the education of the time in Chile but also influenced the establishment of the initial epistemological bases of psychology as a scientific discipline.