Origins of psychology Flashcards
Why is Wundt’s work significant
Wundt’s work is significant as it marked the beginning of scientific psychology. It identified the point at which psychology became separated from philosophy and biology, establishing the subject as an independent branch of science.
Who was Wundt regarded as
Wundt is regarded as ‘the father of experimental psychology’ as he set up the first laboratory devoted to experimental psychology in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. He also published one of the first books on psychology (Principles of Physiological Psychology, 1873). Unlike previous study of behaviour, Wundt only investigated aspects of behaviour that could be strictly controlled under experimental conditions.
Wundts aim
Wundt’s aim was to study the structure of mental processes, which he called structuralism. He believed that the best way to do this was to break down processes such as sensation and perception into constituent parts in the same way that an anatomist would study a body trying to find its constituent parts and how they interact. Wundt developed a process called introspection to learn more about the nature of the mental processes involved in conscious awareness.
He initially believed that all aspects of human experience could be studied experimentally but eventually realised that higher mental processes such as emotions, language and learning could not be studied in this highly controlled manner.
Introspection
Wundt tried to make his study of human consciousness as scientific as possible. Participants were informed about the purpose of the experiment and were trained on how to adopt the right ‘mental set’ to perceive stimuli correctly. All the introspections were carried out under carefully controlled conditions so that objective data could be collected. Introspection was not about dwelling on subjective emotions but instead it was a systematic method used to study the mind. Each participant was presented with the same standardised instructions, given the same stimuli, allowed the same amount of time to enable the procedure to be repeated (replicated) time and time again. This allowed Wundt to make a comparison of different participants’ responses to the same experience. It also allowed him to generate theories about mental processes that could be applied to everyone.
Introspection was used in a study of gambling behaviour by Griffiths (1994)
The study investigated the thought processes of people who gambled regularly versus non-regular gamblers, proposing that the thought processes of regular gamblers would be more irrational.
To measure irrational thinking the participants were asked to ‘think aloud’ while playing a fruit machine. To do this, participants were given a list of instructions such as:
* Say everything that goes through your mind – do not censor any thoughts even if they seem irrelevant to you.
* Keep talking as continuously as possible, even if your ideas are not clearly structured.
* Do not hesitate to use fragmented sentences if necessary.
* Do not try to justify your thoughts.
The study found that gamblers used more irrational verbalisations.
Did Wundt contribute to the emergence of Psychology as a science?
-Wundt’s work established psychology as an independent branch of science
He set up the first laboratory devoted to experimental (scientific) psychology in 1879 and he published one of the first books on psychology in 1873. His work with introspection marked a shift towards a more rigorous scientific approach to psychology away from the more philosophical approaches previously used.
Did Wundt contribute to the emergence of Psychology as a science?
-Some researchers claim that introspection is not scientific. As Wundt’s work is based on this method, it questions whether Wundt contributed to the emergence of Psychology as a science.
In the early part of 20th century, Behaviourists claimed that mental processes were unobservable and that introspection was unscientific in that it relied on interpretation. Behaviourists believed that psychologist should only study behaviour that can be observed and objectively measured, using controlled laboratory experiments. Others pointed out that participants’ responses to the same experience varied enormously and so the results were not reliable (the same results were not found time after time) suggesting the introspection was not scientific. It has been suggested that early Behaviourists made greater contribution to the development of psychology as a science than Wundt. Behaviourists produced reliable findings and explanations for behaviour that were generalisable − much more in keeping with the scientific approach.
Did Wundt contribute to the emergence of Psychology as a science?
-Wundt inspired new psychological approaches that enabled mind and behaviour to be studied scientifically
. Wundt’s focus on studying mental processes is regarded as a forerunner of the Cognitive approach, formed in the mid-1950s. Cognitive psychologists draw conclusions about mental processes from the responses given by participants in experiments. By not relying on the method of introspection, the cognitive approach became a respected and scientific approach to studying psychology.
Did Wundt contribute to the emergence of Psychology as a science?
-Introspection is useful for collecting data on human experiences that would otherwise be difficult to study scientifically.
Despite criticisms of introspection, it is still used in modern scientific psychological research. For example, in the research study described earlier by Griffiths. This means that Wundt’s method of introspection has enabled certain types of information to be collected in a more scientific way.
Did Wundt contribute to the emergence of Psychology as a science?
-Participants may not be aware of all their mental processes and therefore only some will be reported
Introspection involves the perception of a sensory event and then reporting on the experience of that event. This procedure sounds simple but some psychologists claim that we are unaware of many of our mental processes. If this is true, then introspection will not be able to reveal much about them. For example, people frequently make choices about which products to purchase, however they are not always aware of the factors that influence those decisions. This suggests that introspection may not be an accurate way of studying mental processes and therefore questions Wundt’s role in psychology emerging as a science.
