Origins of Psychology

Question 1

KEY TERM
what is introspection?

Answer 1

A method used to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into thoughts, images and sensations

Question 2

What did Wundt do?

Answer 2

Opened the first psychology lab in Germany 1879.

Question 3

what was Wundt’s objective?

Answer 3

Wundt’s objective was to document and describe human consciousness (introspection)

Question 4

Controlled methods?

Answer 4

All introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus each time. The same standardized instructions were given to each participant making this study easily replicable and making it scientific.

Question 5

Positive (evaluation) of Wundt’s methods (A03)

Answer 5

Wundt’s study was done in a lab environment so it would be classed as scientific today as all variables were controlled

Question 6

Criticism (evaluation) of Wundt’s methods (A03)

Answer 6

Wundt relied on participants self reporting their mental process, making this data subjective

Question 7

what did Watson do?

Answer 7

Watson questioned the scientific status of introspection, Watson argued that introspection is subjective in the case of it varied greatly from person to person.

Question 8

what was Watson’s main argument?

Answer 8

Watson said that scientific psychology should only study what can be measured and observed

Question 9

Criticism (evaluation) of Watson’s theory (A03)

Answer 9

Not all approaches in psychology use objective methods to study behaviour such as the humanistic approach that only uses subjective experience