origins of psychology

Question 1

who opened the first psychology laboratory

Answer 1

wilhelm wundt

Question 2

when and where did he open the first psychology lab

Answer 2

1879 in Germany

Question 3

what technique did he adopt here

Answer 3

introspection

Question 4

what did wundts approach come to be known as

Answer 4

‘structuralism’ as he investigated structures of the mind, such as our thinking processes

Question 5

what did wundt use introspection to study

Answer 5

sensations and perceptions in individuals by asking them to describe their experiences, thoughts and feelings in response to stimuli

Question 6

introspection method

Answer 6

1. presented with stimulus
2. inspect thoughts
3. draw conclusions

Question 7

strengths of introspection

Answer 7

• approach separated psychology from philosophy, paved the way for subject to be recognised as a science
• lab experiment - controlled environment, so is replicable

Question 8

weaknesses of introspection

Answer 8

relies on self-reported information - subjective
cant assess reliability - reporting own information

Question 9

psychology as a science:
what are the key features of science

Answer 9

• objectivity
• control
• replicability
• hypothesis testing

Question 10

is psychology a science?

Answer 10

yes - shares the same aims as science to predict and establish theories
yes - some approaches use scientific procedures to investigate theories, such as cognitive and behaviourist approaches
no - not all approaches use scientific procedures, unreliable methods used
no - psychology research is likely to be influenced by extraneous variables that are hard to control