origins of psych

Question 1

who was willhelm wundt and what did he do

Answer 1

• opened first psychology lab in leipzig (germany) in 1879
• his work marked beginning of scientific psychology
• aim was to try and analyse nature of humans consciousness = method known as introspection

Question 2

introspection

Answer 2

1st systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations

Question 3

what was one of wundts main objectives & explain

Answer 3

= try and develop theories about mental processes eg. language & deception
- he and his co-workers recorded their experiences of various stimuli & divided their observations into 3 categories (thoughts, images & sensations)

Question 4

structuralism

Answer 4

= isolating the structure of consciousness
- stimuli wundt/his co-workers experienced was always in the same order & same instructions to all participants

Question 5

17-19th century

Answer 5

psychology is a branch of the broader discipline philosophy
(named experimental philosophy)

Question 6

1879

Answer 6

• willhelm wundt opens 1st experimental psych lab in leipzig
• psychology emerges as distinct discipline

Question 7

1900s

Answer 7

• sigmund freud emphasises influence of unconscious mind on behaviour = psychodynamic approach
• ^^also develops person-centred therapy = psychoanalysis & shows how physical problems can be explained in terms of conflict in the mind

Question 8

1913

Answer 8

• john b. watson writes ‘psychology as the behaviourist views it’
• later (with b.f. skinner) establishes behaviourist approach
• the psychodynamic/behaviourist approaches dominate psychology for 1st half of 20th century

Question 9

1950s (1)

Answer 9

• carl rogers & abraham maslow develop humanistic approach which rejects the behaviourist/psychodynamic views that behaviour is determined by external factors
• humanistic psychology emphasises importance of self-determination/free will

Question 10

1950s (2)

Answer 10

• introduction of digital computer allows psychologists a metaphor for operations of human mind
• cognitive approach reintroduces study of mental processes but more scientifically

Question 11

1960s

Answer 11

• albert bandura proposes social learning theory
• this approach draws attention to role of cognitive factors in learning & provides a bridge between cognitive approach/behaviourism

Question 12

1980s onwards

Answer 12

• biological approach begins to establish self as dominant scientific perspective in psychology –> due to advances in tech that have increased understanding of brain/biological processes

Question 13

eve of 21st century

Answer 13

• cognitive neuroscience emerges as distinct discipline which brings together cognitive/biological approaches
• investigates how biological structures influence mental states

Question 14

emergence of psych as a science - 1900s behaviourists

Answer 14

• introspection questioned = subjective data
• focused on behaviour they can observe objectively & measure - ones they can see
• used carefully controlled experiments

Question 15

emergence of psych as a science - 1950s cognitive approach

Answer 15

• digital revolution
• gave metaphor for studying mind
• cognitive psychologists likened mind to computer (eg. msm) & testing their predictions on memory/attention via experiments

Question 16

emergence of psych as a science - 1980s biological approach

Answer 16

• advantage of advances in tech to investigate physiological processes as they happen eg. fMRI & EEG to study live activity of brain
• new methods (eg. genetic testing) have allowed use to understand the relationship between genes/behaviour better

Question 17

strength of wundts work

Answer 17

P: some of his methods were systematic/well-controlled
E: all introspections were recorded in controlled environment (lab) and ensured extraneous variables weren’t a factor. also, procedures & instructions were standardised.
T: suggests wundts research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches in psych eg. behaviourist