introspection

Question 1

what is introspection?

Answer 1

the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts and sensations. Observing your own conscious thoughts and emotions

Question 2

who introduced introspection?

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt

Question 3

what did Wilhelm Wundt do?

Answer 3

opened the first ever lab dedicated entirely to psychology which then separates it from its philosophical roots

Question 4

what is structuralism?

Answer 4

isolating the structure of consciousness

Question 5

what is a strength of introspection?

Answer 5

some of his methods were systematic and well controlled. Extraneous variables were removed as the research was in a controlled lab setting and procedures were standardised. This is a strength because Wundts research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches

Question 6

what is a limitation of introspection?

Answer 6

it would be considered unscientific today. Wundt relied on ppt self reporting their mental processes. Such data is subjective and ppts may have hidden some processes/thoughts. Therefore it is difficult to establish meaningful “laws of behaviour” from the data received. This is a limitation because it suggests that some of Wundts early research is flawed and wouldn’t reach the criteria of scientific enquiry