APPROACHES- Wundt Flashcards
What is Wundt’s approach known as?
Structuralism
Outline and evaluate Wundt’s role in the emergence of psychology as a science?
AO1
Wundt is often regarded as ‘the father of psychology’.
He set up the first psych lab in 1875 in Leipzig, Germany and psych emerged as a distinct scientific discipline in 1879.
He developed introspection as a way of studying one’s own mental processes.
His researchers were highly trained to examine and analyse the ppts. inwards experience in terms of its components parts for example feelings, emotions and sensations.
It is a systematic experience of one’s own conscious experience where their thoughts would be broken down into separate elements. This was an attempt to uncover the structure of the mind which was known as structuralism.
Wundt’s role in the emergence of psych as a science is significant as it marked the separation of modern scientific psych from its wider philosophical roots.
Outline and evaluate Wundt’s role in the emergence of psychology as a science?
AO3 POSITIVE
Wundt’s work paved the way for later scientifically controlled research into psychology.
Introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions, using the same kind of stimuli each time.
Standardised instructions were issued to all ppts. involved and the study took place in Wundt’s uni room under a controlled environment,
-This is a strength to Wundt’s research as this allowed procedures to be replaced, or replicated, every time they were used meaning introspection has high reliability.
——— In contrast, Other psychologists were already achieving more reliable results.
Early behaviourists such as Pavlov we’re achieving reproducible results which were clearly observable in comparison to Wundt’s ‘non observable’ responses.
-Therefore Wundt’s method of introspection failed as its results were not reliably reproducible by other researchers in other labs.
Outline and evaluate Wundt’s role in the emergence of psychology as a science?
AO3 NEGATIVE
However, Wundt’s scientific credibility was criticised by other psychologists.
John B. Watson (1913) questioned the scientific status and value of introspection. He argued that internal mental processes couldn’t be studied scientifically by introspection as it is too subjective.
- This is a weakness as it became far too difficult to create general principles as for anything to be truly scientifically recorded, it must be able to be measured.
Describe Wundt’s role in the development of psychology.
Wilhelm Wundt, known as the father of experimental psychology, played a significant role in the development of the field. He established the world’s first experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig, which laid the foundation for psychology as a scientific discipline separate from philosophy. His work in introspection and mental processes revolutionized psychological research methods and theories.
Explain what Wundt meant by introspection?
According to Wilhelm Wundt, introspection is looking at oneself and examining personal thoughts and emotions.
Define what is meant by the term psychology according to Wundt?
Wundt believed that psychology was the science of conscious experience and that trained observers could accurately describe thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a process known as introspection.
Briefly explain the emergence of psychology as a science according to Wundt.
Wundt showed that empirical methods could be applied to the study of mental processes. Empirical methods of research are based on actual experience rather than on theory or belief.
