origins of psychology

Question 1

psychology as a science

Answer 1

In contrast to natural science, psychology is a relatively new scientific discipline, with roots in the 17th and early 19th century when philosophers applied the scientific method to studying the mind.
It was accepted that the same methods used in the natural sciences could be used to study mental phenomena.
Psychology emerged as a separate discipline in the mid 1800s.

Question 2

Wundt

Answer 2

Wilhelm Wundt is generally considered the father of experimental psychology.
He founded the Institute of Experimental Psychology and set up the first laboratory dedicated to experimental psychology.

Question 3

introspection

Answer 3

Wundt developed a process called introspection (breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures such as thoughts, sensations and images).
Introspection helps us gain information about our own mental and emotional states, while enabling us to ‘observe’ our inner world.
The process of introspection involved participants being presented with a stimulus (an object or sound) and they would attempt to break down their observation into 3 categories: thoughts, images and sensations.
To conduct introspection, Wundt used controlled environments (controlled the stimulus and the task asked of participants), and he trained his participants so that they could give the most detailed observation possible.

Question 4

evaluation - introspection

Answer 4

Introspection lacks reliability as when other researchers tried to apply it to more complex processes such as learning or emotion, they could not gain similar results
Therefore it is not a reliable method for studying mental states as it does not give us details about the processes that influence our decisions.

Question 5

evaluation - subjective

Answer 5

Wundt’s methods are subjective as he used self-report methods which often create subjective data
Personal opinions were given, therefore they could be biased and participants may have hidden some thoughts or feelings.

Question 6

evaluation - temporal validity

Answer 6

This approach is still occasionally used by researchers, therefore it has high temporal validity as it is still relevant today.
Researchers used introspective methods to measure happiness by giving teenagers beepers that went off at random times throughout the day. They had to write down their thoughts and feelings in the moment just before beep. They found that participants were unhappy a lot of the time, however they tended to be more upbeat when their energies were focused on a challenging task