Origins Of Psychology

Question 1

What is psychology

Answer 1

The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those functions affecting behaviour in a given context

Question 2

What is introspection

Answer 2

An informal process of exploring one’s mental and emotional states by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts images and sensations

Question 3

When and where did Wundt open the first ever psychology lab

Answer 3

In Leipzig Germany in 1879

Question 4

What did Wundt intend to do when opening his lab

Answer 4

Document and describe the nature of human consciousness (known as introspection)

Question 5

How did Wundt introspect (on himself and co-workers)

Answer 5

Recorded their own conscious thoughts with the aim of breaking them down into their constituent parts
(Isolating the structure of consciousness in this way is called structuralism)

Question 6

What controlled methods did Wundt use when investigating introspection

Answer 6

All introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus every time (ticking metronome) and standardised instructions were used

Question 7

Why did Wundt use standardised instructions when investigating introspection

Answer 7

To allow procedures to be repeated and replicated every single time therefore making his work significant because it marked the separation of modern scientific psychology to emerge

Question 8

How did psychology emerge as a science (Watson’s view on introspection)

Answer 8

Watson questioned introspection as it produces subjective data that varies greatly from person to person so it is difficult to establish general principles

Question 9

Why was Watson highly critical of introspection (behaviourist approach being made)

Answer 9

Because it focuses on private mental processes and proposed that’s a truly scientific psychology should restrict itself to only studying phenomena that can be observed and measured. Therefore creating the behaviourist approach

Question 10

How did a scientific approach help with the emergence of psychology

Answer 10

Watson and Skinner brought the language, rigour and methods into psychology as the behaviourist approach focuses on the scientific processes involved in learning using a controlled lab setting

Question 11

How has psychology emerged in medical ways (scans)

Answer 11

In the biological approach they investigate physiological processes as they happen including live brain activity with the help of fMRI and EEG scans