origins of psychology

Question 1

wundt

Answer 1

opened first psychology lab (germany 1879) aiming to describe the nature of human consciousness in a controlled and scientific environment

Question 2

introspection

Answer 2

pioneered by wundt - the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind
looking at oneself and examining personal thoughts and emotions

Question 3

controlled procedures

Answer 3

same standardised instructions given to all participants and stimuli were presented in same order

Question 4

structuralism

Answer 4

introspection led to identifying structure of consciousness by breaking it up into basic structures: thoughts, images, sensations

Question 5

emergence of psychology as a science

Answer 5

1. 1900s early behaviourists rejected introspection (Watson 1913) - more scientific
2. 1930s behaviourist scientific approach (Skinner 1953)
3. 1950s cognitive approach
4. 1980s biological approach

Question 6

strengths

Answer 6

• scientific aspects: controlled lab, standardised procedures
• produced 1st academic journal for psychological research ‘father’ of modern psychology - pioneering research set foundations for approaches to come

Question 7

weaknesses

Answer 7

• his research was subjective, relied on participants self-reporting their ‘private’ mental processes so difficult to establish meaningful ‘laws of behaviour’