Approaches - Orgigins In Psychology Flashcards
Who is the Father of psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt
What did Wundt do in 1875?
Opened the first psychology lab in Germany, Leipzig.
What did Wundt study?
His approach was known as structuralism and the technique became known as introspection.
What is introspection?
Reflection of ones own mental and behavioural processes.
How did Wundt study introspection?
He trained his participants to become self-aware enough to observe and report back their inner mental processes and emotional states after being subject to a stimuli.
What is an evaluation point of introspection?
Introspection was found to be inaccurate. It relied on responses which could not be observed nor was it possible to use it effectively to formulate theories on memory or perception. Introspection was also difficult to replicate between participants highlighting its unreliability when compared to behaviourist explanations such as classical and operant conditioning which could be replicated.
What is another evaluative point of introspection?
Introspection was only suited for people who were able to show an ability to have self- awareness so it was not appropriate in understanding all behaviour from people. In addition it did not uncover unconscious attitudes or bias people may hold which influence behaviour and choices people make as they were unaware of them. For these reasons it was found to be inaccurate.
How did psychology emerge as a science?
It had to adopt the scientific methods of other natural sciences.
