Origins of Psychology Flashcards
What was psychology once known as?
experimental philosophy
Who are three key people who influence early pyschology?
- Rene Descartes
- John Locke
- Charles Darwin
What were most people’s beliefs about behaviour before Wundt?
- all behaviour was governed & given by God
- no need to study or question human behaviour as it was God’s will
What did Wudnt believe about how behaviour should be specifically studied?
should be broken down into its constituent parts & analysed systematically
What are 2 assumptions of the scientific method?
- all behaviour has a cause & is determined
- future behaviour is predictable
What did Wundt believed about psychology as a science?
psychology should be studied like “hard sciences” (eg. Bio, Physics, Chemistry) using a scientific method
What was so special about Wundt?
- first person to call himself a psychologist
- published first book about psychology (Principles of Physiological Psychology)
- founded Institute for Experimental Psychology, first person to study behaviour in a lab
What idea in psychology did Wundt come up with?
introspection
What is introspection?
where participants reflect on their own feelings, emotions, sensations and mental states
What did Wundt use introspection as a method for?
learning more about mental processes (eg. memory, perception, sensation & reaction)
What are the 4 key principles for methods of introspection?
- participant must know when stimulus will be presented
- participant must be in state of strained attention
- process must be repeatable
- stimuli must be such that its strength & quality can be varied
What are 2 weaknesses of introspection?
- nuisbett & wilson criticise the use of introspection bc ptcpts are only able to report on conscious mental processes
- introspection could not be used to study children & animals, who are unable to use vocab to accurately explain their emotions
What are is a strength of introspection?
Wundt’s focus on the inner working mental processes paved the way for emergence of cognitive approach
Define objectivity.
basing finding on a fact, rather than an opinion
Define subjectivity.
basing findings on an opinion, rather than a fact