approaches - origins of psychology Flashcards
what was significant about Wundt’s lab?
opened in 1879
was the first lab dedicated entirely to psychology
marked the beginning of scientific psychology
what did Wundt aim to do?
analyse the nature of human consciousness
this marked the first attempt to study the mind under controlled conditions
what is introspection?
the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind
involved breaking up the conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts images, and sensations
what was Wundt’s procedure for studying human consciousness?
participants would be presented with various stimuli, and for each would record their experiences
experiences divided into three categories - thoughts, images, and sensations
what is structuralism?
Wundt used experimental method to find the basic structures of thoughts, and investigated how they reacted
a key part of introspection
what is a strength of Wundt’s research?
his method was scientific - systematic and well-controlled
introspections were conducted in the controlled environment of a lab.
procedures were standardised - all participants presented with the same stimuli in the same order
what is a limitation of Wundt’s research?
relied on self-report from participants, which makes the data subjective, and participants may have idea some of their thoughts
this subjective data makes it difficult to establish general laws
why did behaviourists reject introspection?
Watson (1913) rejected it as it produced subjective data, so couldn’t establish general laws
emergence of behaviourism (1900s)
Watson and Skinner proposed that truly scientific psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed objectively and measured
- focused on observable behaviour
- used carefully controlled experiments
emergence of the cognitive approach (1950s)
digital revolution introduced the digital computer, which gave psychologists a metaphor for the operation of the human mind
tested predictions about memory and attention using experiments - ensured the study of the mind was still legitimate and highly scientific
emergence of the biological approach (1980s)
advances in technology allowed researchers to increase their understanding of the brain and biological processes
fMRIs and EEGs are used to study live activity in the brain
genetic testing allowed us to better understand the relationship between genes and behaviour
strength of the emergence of psychology as a science?
modern psychology can claim to be scientific
behaviourist, cognitive, and biological approaches really on the use of scientific methods, such as lab studies
all have the same aims as the natural sciences - describe, understand, and predict human behaviour
limitation of the emergence of psychology as a science?
not all approaches use objective methods
humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach - instead focuses on individual and subjective experiences
psychodynamic approach uses case studies (not representative)
human beings are active participants in research and may respond to demand characteristics
emergence of the psychodynamic approach (1900s)
Freud emphasised the influence of the unconscious and developed his person-centred therapy of psychoanalysis
emergence of the humanistic approach (1950s)
Rogers and Maslow rejected behaviourist and psychodynamic approaches for their focus on external factors determining behaviour
emphasised the importance of self-determination and free will
emergence of social learning theory (1960s)
draws attention to the role of cognitive factors - creates a bridge between cognitive and behaviourist approaches
emergence of cognitive neuroscience (1990s/21st century)
rings together cognitive and biological approaches by investigating how biological structures influence mental states
