Origins of Psychology Flashcards
What did Wundt do?
Made 1st psych lab in Germany (1879)
What did Wundt believe in?
reductionism- the mind could be broken down into basic elements.
What is introspection?
the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes
How did Wundt use introspection?
-He presented himself and colleagues with stimuli, and asked them to record their conscious thoughts.
What is structuralism?
the analysis of the basic elements that constitute the mind
Where did Wundt do his experiments?
In carefully controlled lab environments.
Strengths of Wundt?
-Methods were well controlled and systematic. They all received the same instructions and were in the same physical environment.
-It encouraged behaviourists to do experiments in controlled environments, founding psychology as a science.
Weaknesses of Wundt?
-Subjective. Participants may not reveal all their thoughts.
-It is difficult to form laws of behaviour (biased and unrepresentative).
