Origins of Psychology Flashcards
5 approaches in psychology
- learning theory
- cognitive approach
- biological approach
- psychodynamic approach
- humanistic approach
when did Wilhelm Wundt open the first psychology lab?
1879
psychology
the scientific study of the mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in given context
science
acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation
introspection
the first systematic, experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up the conscious awareness into basic structures
where was the first lab for psychology opened? when?
Leipzig, German, 1879
what did Wundt do?
separated psychology from philosophy by analysing the mind in a more structured way, emphasising objective measurement and control
structuralism
studying the structure of the mind by reducing the consciousness to its basic elements (thoughts, images and sensations)
what wasa Wundt’s contribution to science?
he showed that psychoogy could be a valid experimental science
outline Wundt’s study using introspection
- highly trained assistants given stimulus (ticking metronome)
- asked to reflect on the experience, reporting what the stimulus made them think and feel (thoughts, images, sensations)
- same stimulus and surroundings given to each P (standardisation key part of modern scientific research)
how long did introspection last as a scientific discipline?
not past the early 1920s
2 strengths of introspection
- used standardised procedures
- while not very scientific, is sometimes used to gain access to cognitive processes
* Griffiths used it to study cgnitive processes of fruit gamblers –> thought aloud while playing a machine
* Csikszentmihalyi an Hunter used it to study happiness
3 weaknesses of introspection
- still produces subjective data despite standardisation
- results not replicable
- early behaviourists like Pavlo and Thorndike were achieving reliably reproducible results and discovering explanatory principles tht could be generalised to all humans
