1) Wundt & psychology Flashcards
What were Wundt’s key contributions to the foundation of psychology as a science?
-he thought about and published a book on psychology called “principles of physiological psychology”
-used controlled, standardised procedures
How did Wundt use introspection as a technique?
-used it to investigate the human mind
-participants were asked to reflect on their cognitive processes and describe them
-people were trained to report in detail on their inner experiences
What is structuralism and why is it important?
-identifying consciousness by breaking down behaviours into their basic elements of thoughts, images and senses
-marked the beginning of scientific psychology seperating it from its broader philosophical roots
What did behaviourists object to about introspection and what did they focus on instead?
-behaviourists rejected introspection for being too subjective
-they argued that researchers should only study what is observable and measurable
Name 2 key figures in the behaviourist approach
Watson and Skinner
What was the cognitive revolution and how was the computer analogy used?
-influenced the direction of psychology in 1950’s
-the computer analogy of the mind working like a computer (input-process-output) was seen as legitimate within psychology
What were key areas of focus for the cognitive approach?
Memory and attention experiments dominated the field with the predictions being tested in the lab with highly controlled procedures
What enabled the biological approach to develop?
Biological psychologists from 1980’s took advantage of the advances in technology
-e.g. EEG’s, fMRIs and genetic research
Which approach followed combining both cognitive and biological approaches?
-human connective project (HCP) was launched in 2009 which is ongoing today and aims to map all of the neural connections in the brain
-this is an example of cognitive neuroscience
(Combined both cognitive and biological approaches)
What is a standardised procedure?
When a test is uniform or set to adhere to a specific standard
What is a reaction time experiment?
Used to quantify cognitive processes and behaviours
What is introspection?
A psychological process that involves looking inward to examine one’s own thoughts, emotions, judgements and perceptions
What does structuralism do?
It analyses the mind by breaking it down into simpler components
What is behaviourism?
Theory of learning that focuses on observable behaviours and environmental stimuli
What is a Skinner box?
Laboratory apparatus used to study animal behaviour through operant conditioning
