Approaches - origins of psychology

Question 1

What are the 3 main discoveries of Wundt?

Answer 1

first lab for psychology in Germany

standardised procedures

structuralism

Question 2

What is structuralism?

Answer 2

The stimuli that Wundlt and his co-workers experienced were always presented in the same order and the same instructions were issued to all participants

Question 3

What is introspection?

Answer 3

The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures

Question 4

What is a strength of Wundt and introspection?

Answer 4

Scientific

Question 5

What is the evaluation of Wundt’s work being scientific?

Answer 5

P: Methods are systematic and well-controlled
E: extraneous variables were not a factor
E: instructions were standardised
L: considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches

Question 6

What is a limitation of Wundt and introspection?

Answer 6

Subjective data

Question 7

What is the evaluation of Wundt’s work having subjective data?

Answer 7

P: considered unscientific
E: Data is subjective
E: difficult to establish laws of behaviour from such data
L: Efforts were flawed and cannot meet the critera of scientific study

Question 8

What is a science?

Answer 8

A mean of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim is to discover general laws

Question 9

What approach emerged in the 1900s?

Answer 9

Behaviourists

Question 10

What was the problem with introspection?

Answer 10

It produced subjective rather than objective data, making it hard to establish general laws

Question 11

What did Watson and B.F Skinner propose?

Answer 11

That a truly scientific psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed objectively and measured

Question 12

What approach emerged in the 1950s?

Answer 12

The cognitive approach

Question 13

What did cognitive psychologists likened the mind to?

Answer 13

A computer and tested their predictions about memory and attention using experiements

Question 14

What did the cognitive approach ensure?

Answer 14

That the study of mind was a legitimate and highly scientific aspect of the discipline

Question 15

What approach emerged in the 1980s?

Answer 15

Biological

Question 16

What is a strength of the emergence of a psychology as a science?

Answer 16

Modern psychology

Question 17

What is the evaluation of the emergence of a psychology as a science being a modern psychology?

Answer 17

P: scientific
E: has the same aims as the natural sciences
E: The learning approaches all rely on the use of scientific methods
L: throughout the 20th century psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline

Question 18

What is a limitation of the emergence of a psychology as a science?

Answer 18

Subjective data

Question 19

What is the evaluation of the emergence of a psychology as a science having subjective data?

Answer 19

P: not all approaches use scientific methods
E: Humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach
E: The subject of study are active participants that respond to demand characteristics
L: a scientific approach to the study of human thought is not always possible