5.1. Origins Of Psychology (Approaches)

Question 1

Definition of Psychology

Answer 1

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behaviour in a given context.

Question 2

What is Wundt known for?

Answer 2

-Father of Psychology
-first ever psych lab in Germany
-then psych emerged as a distinct discipline

Question 3

Wundt’s Work+what is introspection

Answer 3

-argued to be what allowed psych to be scientific because it separated it from its broader philosophical roots
-W aim was to analyse the nature of human consciousness
-W represented the first systematic attempt to study the mind under controlled conditions = introspection

Question 4

Wundt Experiments

Answer 4

-W focused on developing theories focused on mental processes eg language and perception.
-to measure this scientifically W and his colleagues used standardised procedures which involved them recording their own conscious thoughts and experiencing various stimuli.
-when recording they separated this into: thoughts, images and sensations.

Question 5

Structuralism

Answer 5

Isolating the consciousness in attempt to understand the structure and characteristics of the mind.
- the stimuli that W and his colleagues experienced was always presented in the same order and the same instructions and issued to all ppts

Question 6

Controlled Methods/Standardised procedures

Answer 6

-early attempt -> naive but some now would recognise it as scientific
-all the introspections -> recorded in strictly controlled conditions using the stimulu every time
- same standardised I trust icon were given to all the ppts -> allowing the procedures to be replicated every single time

Question 7

One Strength of Wundt and Introspection

Answer 7

Aspects of Wundts work are scientific.
Introspections recorded in controlled lab and he standardises procedures, all ppts with the same information and tested in the same way.
There4, W research can be considered a forerunner to the later scientific approaches that were to come.

Question 8

One limitation of Wundt and Introspection

Answer 8

Other aspects of Ws research were subjective.
W relied on ppts self reporting their private mental process, such data is subjective, as ppts may have hidden some of their thoughts, making it difficult to establish meaningful ‘laws of behaviour’ which is one of science aims
There4, Ws early efforts to study the mind were naive and would not meet the criteria of scientific enquiry.