Origins Of Psychology Flashcards
Define psychology
The scientific study of the human mind and its function
Define Cartesian dualism
How did Cartesian dualism form the philosophical basis of psychology?
Descartes believed the mind and body are independent from each other.
It suggested that the mind could be a subject of study in its own right
What is empiricism? Whose belief of empiricism formed the basis for the behaviourist approach?
The belief that all experiences are gained through senses
John Locke
Who is known as the founder/father of Psychology?
When and where did they open the first experimental lab for psychology?
Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 in Leipzig Germany. Helped establish psychology as it’s own branch of science separating it from its philosophical roots.
Wundt focused on the idea of introspection. Define introspection
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking down conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations
Describe how Wundt implemented elements of scientific method in his study of introspection
He used a controlled environment and followed standardised procedures
Who criticised Wundt and why
John Watson. Believed his methodology does not yield objective, replicable evidence as they rely on individual interpretation of stimuli. Argues that psychology should instead focus on observable and measurable behaviour to be truly scientific.
Describe how John Watson’s criticism of introspection led to psychology becoming more scientific
- Behaviourists made use of controlled lab experiments to study phenomena which produced objective data
- From the 1980s biological psychologists utilised the advances in technology, such as the development of brain scanning techniques (eg. fMRI, EEG) which allowed live brain activity to be investigated
1 strength of Wundt
His focus on internal mental processes paved the way for the cognitive approach. Such emphasis has allowed modern psychologists to scientifically study and establish theories regarding the phenomena he was interested in such as perception, learning and memory.
