Origins Of Psychology

Question 1

Who is regarded as the founding father of psychology ? When?

Answer 1

Wundt
1879

Question 2

Why is Wundt’s work regarded as significant ?

Answer 2

As it it marks the start of beginning of scientific psychology ;

Question 3

What is the meaning of psychology ?

Answer 3

The scientific study of the mind,behaviour and experience

Question 4

What is the meaning of introspection ?

Answer 4

The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.

Question 5

What is meant by the term structuralism?

Answer 5

The isolating of the conscious via introspection.

Question 6

Describe the process of introspection

Answer 6

1) participants are trained to report conscious experiences as objectively as possible.
2) participants would be asked to focus on a sensory object , often a ticking metronome
3) participants would systematically report their experience of the object by breaking their thoughts into separate elements (structuralism) ; participants would focus inwards and report sensations, feelings and images.

Question 7

What did Wundt ensure in his research ?

Answer 7

Carefully controlled the experimental conditions and the environment.

Question 8

Is introspection a direct observation of mental processes ?

Answer 8

No. As Wundt made inferences on the structure of internal mental processes based on observed behaviour.

Question 9

What is the meaning of science ?

Answer 9

A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim is to discover general laws.

Question 10

How has psychology emerged as a science ? (1900s)

Answer 10

• Wundt’s introspection was questioned by behaviourist due being subjective instead of objective so it was hard to establish laws (which is fundamental in classifying a science)
• Watson supported by Skinner (behaviourist theorist) proposed that a truly scientific psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed objectively and measurable.
• Employed the use of controlled experiments and focused only on behaviour that can be seen.
• Dominated psychology for the next 50 years.

Question 11

How has psychology emerged as a science ? (1950’s)

Answer 11

• The digital revolution of the 1950’s gave a new generation of psychologists a new metaphor of studying the mind.
• Cognitive psychologists likened the mind to the computer (multi store model) and tested their predictions about memory and attention using experiments.
• Cognitive approach ensured that the study of the mind, was once again, a legitimate and highly scientific aspect of discipline.

Question 12

How has psychology emerged as a science ? (1980s)

Answer 12

• The biological approach has taken scientific psychology to new levels
• Taken advantage of technological advances to investigate physiological processes as they happen.
• Sophisticated scanning techniques FMRIs EEGs ERPs used to study brain activities.
• Newly established relationships between genes and behaviour.

Question 13

Strength for Wundt

Answer 13

SCIENTIFIC
-some of his methods were well controlled and systematic.
- All introspections were recorded in controlled nature of a lab. To minimise possibility of extraneous variables.
- Procedures and instructions were standardised so that all participants received the same info and were tested in the same way.
- A credible basis for future psychological research (behaviourist theory )

Question 14

Limitation of Wundt

Answer 14

SUBJECTIVE DATA
- aspects of Wundt’s early research can be viewed as unscientific today
- Seen through how Wundt relied on participants self reporting their mental processes -makes data subjective
- Some participants may have hidden their thoughts which
- This makes it hard to establish laws about behaviour which is a fundamental aspect of what a science is.
- Shows Wundt’s early research to study the mind was flawed and inapplicable to scientific research criteria today - decreases credibility

Question 15

Counter limitation Wundt

Answer 15

• However introspection remains relevant for studying unobservable mental processes such as emotional states as well as used in therapy
  -real life application
• Increases external validity.

Question 16

Strength of psychology

Answer 16

Modern Psychology
- can this claim to be scientific. Psychology has the same aims as natural sciences - to describe understand, predict and control behaviour.
- The learning , behaviour and biological approach’s all rely on the use of scientific methods - e.g lab studies to investigate in controlled unbiased manner.
- shows that beyond 20th century psych has applied itself in a scientific manner - shows its reliability

Question 17

Limitation of psychology

Answer 17

SUBJECTIVE DATA

• not all approaches in psychology utilise objective methods
• a prime example is the humanistic approach which completely rejects the scientific approach and focuses on individual experiences and subjective experience.
• the psychodynamic approach keys use of the case study method which does not use representative samples.
• finally the subject of study - human beings - active participants in the research - may show demand characteristics
• therefore scientific methods to study human thought and experiences may not always be desirable or possible
  -decreases scientific credibility