Origins of Psychology

Question 1

Who opened the first psychological lab and what experiments did they do

Answer 1

Wundt in Germany. He and his co-workers used introspection in which they recorded their own conscious thoughts with the aim of breaking these down into their constituent parts.

Question 2

What is introspection

Answer 2

The systematic analysis of one’s own conscious experience in response to a stimuli, gives idea of one’s current mental state

Question 3

What is structuralism

Answer 3

The process of breaking down thoughts into constituent parts

Question 4

Strengths of Wundt’s introspection

Answer 4

-introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus each time(eg a ticking metronome)
-standardised instructions were issued to all pps= allows procedures to be repeated
-marked separation of the modern scientific psychology from its broader philosophical roots

Question 5

Limitations of Wundt’s introspection

Answer 5

-cannot quantify the data meaning there is no way of analysing it
-data is subjective as it varies from person to person= difficult to establish general principles
-unfalsifiable as cannot observe internal mental processes