Approaches:Origins of Psychology

Question 1

When was psychology first considered its own discipline?

Answer 1

1879

Question 2

Who was responsible for this and why?

Answer 2

Wundt , he established the ‘Institute for Experimental Psychology) in Germany which was the first lab dedicated to the scientific study of psychological processes

Question 3

What did Wundt pioneer ?

Answer 3

the technique of introspection

Question 4

What is introspection?
What did this encourage?

What does objective mean?

Answer 4

a technique used to examine thought processes , feelings , emotions and sensations in controlled conditions to allow replication and accurate measurements
-it encouraged the subject to be seen as objective
-when a researcher isnt influenced by personal feelings or emotions

Question 5

What is the aim of the introspection technique?

Answer 5

to break down thoughts into smaller parts to try and understand the internal mental processes

Question 6

Wundt did a study , what did ppts have to do?
Was it done in a controlled / natural setting?
Were standardised instructions used , if so why ?

Answer 6

listen to a metronome which produced regular ticking sounds and record their conscious thoughts
Yes
Yes , to reduce the chance of EVs influencing the data

Question 7

What are two weaknesses of Wundt?

Answer 7

-he realised mental processes were hard to study using his procedures , as his method could be considered unscientific and subjective , making them hard to be replicated

-behaviour outside conscious awareness couldn’t be studied which limits validity

Question 8

What are two strengths of Wundt?

Answer 8

+ his technique can be considered a precursor of methods used later on in things like the cognitive approach

+he paved the way for other controlled techniques that are still used today like therapy , meaning it was influential in the development of psych