Origins of psychology

Question 1

what is introspection?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

when did Wundt’s lab open

Answer 2

• opened first ever psychology lab in Germany (1879)

Question 3

what happened at Wundt’s lab in Germany

Answer 3

pioneered introspection - nature of human consciousness
- Wundt and co workers recorded their conscious thoughts and broke them down - isolating structure of consciousness in this way (known as structuralism)

Question 4

what is structuralism

Answer 4

• isolating structure of consciousness

Question 5

what were the controlled methods within Wundt’s study’s that took place in his lab

Answer 5

• all introspection recorded under strictly controlled conditions
• same stimulus was used
• same standardised instructions given to each participant - allowed procedures to be replicated

Question 6

emergence of psychology as a science - Watson and early behaviorists

Answer 6

• Watson (1913) questioned introspection - states it varied from person to person so couldn’t be varied
• criticised the focus on ‘private’ mental processes and believed scientific psychology should focus on observable processes.
• behaviorist approach was created - as well as emergence of psychology as a science

Question 7

emergence of psychology as a science - scientific approach

Answer 7

• recent advances in technology help investigate psychological processes such as live activity in brain using scanning techniques such as fMRI and EEG