๐ต Approaches - Origins of Psychology Flashcards
Psychology
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behaviour in a given context
Science
A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim is to discover general laws
Introspection
A systematic method used to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basics structures of thoughts, images and sensations
Who created the first ever psychology lab, where and when
Wilhem Wundt created the first ever psychology lab in leipzig, Germany in 1879
What was the objective of the psychology lab?
The objective that wudnt set himself was to document and describe the nature of human consciousness and this led to introspection
What did introspection lead wudnt to do
Wudnt and his scientists recorded their own conscious thoughts, with the aim of breaking these down into parts
What is structuralism
This means to isolate the structure of consciousness and break down conscious thoughts into constituent parts
What were some scientific views on wudnts method then and now
Back then, many scientists saw the method as naive but today, some methods used would be seen as scientific today
What made wudnts methods scientific
- all introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus every time
- the same standardised instructions were issued to all participants which allowed the procedures to be repeated
Who was rene Descartes and what did he suggest
He was a French philosopher who suggested that the mind and body are independent from each other
What is Cartesian dualism
A philosophical stance which states that the mind and body are separate from each other
Rene Descartes years
1596-1650
Years john Locke
1632-1704
What did john Locke suggest
Locke proposed empiricism which was the idea that all experiences can be obtained through senses and that human beings inherit neither knowledge nor instincts - later known as the behaviourists approach
Psychology in the 17th-19th century
Psychology was a branch of philosophy