Origins in Psychology

Question 1

Who Is Wilhelm Wundt

Answer 1

Wundt was the first person to call himself a ‘psychologist’, believing in ALL aspects of nature. His approach paved the way for the acceptance of psychology as a science and experimental psychology as the preferred method of studying human behaviour. Wundt’s aim was to study the structure of human mind, and he believed that that the best way to do this was to breakdown behaviours such as sensation and perception to their BASIC ELEMENTS. So, his approach was referred to as structuralism and the technique he used as INTROSPECTION.

Question 2

Explain the term Introspection

Answer 2

INTROSPECTION: the process by which a person gains knowledge about his/her own mental and emotional states as a result of examination or observation of their conscious thoughts and feelings.
Wundt claimed that, with sufficient training, mental processes such as memory and perception could be observed systematically as they occurred using introspection

Question 3

Define Empiricism

Answer 3

EMPIRICISM: the belief that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience. It is generally characterised by the use of the scientific method is science.

Question 4

Emergence of Psychology as a science

Answer 4

Empiricists believe that knowledge comes from observation and experience alone. When empirical methods were first applied to Wundt’s experiments on human beings, psychology began to emerge as a distinct entity. This new scientific approach to psychology was based on two main assumptions: *Behaviour is seen as being caused (determinism)
*If behaviour is determined therefore it’s possible to predict it.

Question 5

Define Introspection

Answer 5

The examination of one’s own conscious thoughts and feelings or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes. In psychology, the process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one’s mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one’s soul.

Question 6

Define Scientific Method

Answer 6

A method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.

Question 7

Origins Evaluation: Unreliable Methods

Answer 7

• Wundt’s results were not reproduced reliably by other researchers in other laboratories
• His approach relied primarily on ‘non-observable responses’
• Although participants could report on their conscious experiences, the processes themselves were considered unobservable constructions.
• There was a lack of reliability in his approach, ultimately leading to its failure.

Question 8

Origins Evaluation:

Inaccuracy of Introspection

Answer 8

• Nisbett and Wilson claimed we have very little knowledge of the causes of our behaviour and attitude - A claim challenging the value of introspective reports
• Although people can usually produce an explanation for their behaviour, that explanation may not be accurate because people do not have direct introspective access to many of their mental processes. “Telling more than we can know” refers to a potential problem with using self-report methods to study mental processes. Participants may be telling the experimenter more than they could be expected to know about themselves.

Question 9

Strengths of the scientific approach

Answer 9

• Because of its reliance on objective and systematic methods of observation, knowledge acquired using scientific method is more than just passive acceptance of facts.
• Scientific Methods rely on a belief of determinism, they are able to establish the causes of behaviour through the use of methods that are both empirical and replicable.
• If scientific theories no longer fit the facts, they can be defined or abandoned, meaning that scientific knowledge is self-corrective. Because psychologists are always repeating each other’s experiments, it is hard for a theory that does not explain the facts to hang on for very long.