Lesson 1- Origins Of Psychology

Question 1

psychology and science definition

Answer 1

-scientific study of the mind and behaviour
-pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence

Question 2

Introspection

Answer 2

The first systematic and experimental attempt to study the mind/mental processes by breaking down conscious awareness into basic structures of reflections, thoughts, images, and sensations
-recorded under strictly controlled conditions in a lab using same stimuli, same reaction times, same instructions given to participants, had to focus on present experiences
-involved person saying everything that is going through their mind whilst doing an activity or thinking about topic/object, must keep talking even of ideas are not clear, must not hesitate, can use fragmented sentences, do not have to justify thoughts, made research into introspection highly reliable so replication was possible
-separated from early philosophical roots, later recognised hard to study using introspection, encouraged search for alternative methods/approaches eg brain scan

Question 3

Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 3

-opened first experimental psychology lab in Leipzig German, 1879, helped shape psychology as a science
-lab designed to aid scientific study of psychological inquiry using controlled conditions that could facilitate replication of results

Question 4

Structuralism

Answer 4

-A theory of consciousness, involves the use of introspection, self-reports of sensation, views, feelings, emotions etc
-wanted to document and describe the structure of human consciousness and this invoked him and workers recording their own conscious thoughts and breaking them down into their constituent parts
-wanted to investigate the same way as traditional sciences, believed psychology should emerge as science, paved way for science view and develop cognitive psychology

Question 5

introspection/emergence strengths

Answer 5

-introspection has helped develop other approaches, useful phenomenon that has formed basis of other approaches/models
-extremely scientific, shames same qualities as scientific subjects, high level of control of variables as study behaviours in lab setting
-able to establish what causes behaviour, can provide predictions of behaviour
-still used today in areas of therapy that study emotional states, can still be applied to contemporary therapy and modern society
-wundt supports and advocates the idea of reductionism, believed consciousness could be broken down to its basic elements without sacrificing any of the properties of the whole

Question 6

introspection/emergence weaknesses

Answer 6

-watson 1913 criticsed Wundt, introspection and emerging science, produces subjective data which varies from one individual to the next therefore not objective or very reliable
-wilson claims psychologists have little knowledge about some behaviour and attitudes that might exist outside of conscious awareness, would not be able to uncover and understand these thought processes, not scientific or accurate
-fails to explain how the mind works and the processes involved in thinking about a particular topic/activity, cannot see how thoughts are generated and introspection cannot be properly observed, not scientific