origins of psychology and introspection Flashcards
who was wilhelm wundt?
known as the father of psychology, he opened the first psychology lab in leipzig, germany, in 1879
what was the name of the theory wundt pioneered?
introspection
what is meant by introspection?
investigating our own inner world. assessing our own mental and emotional states and reporting back
what were the key aspects of introspection?
focus on being objective
reflect on sensations, feelings and images
systematic reporting of experience
thinking about your thoughts
what sort of procedure did wundt use?
controlled procedure - same standardised instructions given to all participants and stimuli were presented in the same order
how did psychology develop as a science in the early 1900s?
early behaviourists rejected introspection
watson (1913) argued it was subjective, and influenced by perspective
according to behaviourism, ‘scientific’ psychology should only study phonomena that can be observed and measured
how did psychology develop as a science in the 1930s?
behaviourist scientific approach dominated psychology
skinner (1953) bought language and rigour of natural sciences into psychology
behaviourist focus on learning, and use of controlled studies, would dominate for 50 years
how did psychology develop as a science in the 1950s?
cognitive approach studied processes scientifically
after computer revolution of the 1950s the study of mental processes was seen as legitimate
cognitive psychologists likened the brain to a computer
how did psychology develop as a science in the 1980s?
the biological approach introduced technological advances
took advantage of brain advancements including recording brain activity using scanning techniques such as fMRI and EEG
strengths of wundts methods
self corrective ideas as theories can be adapted should they be found correct
one of the earliest methods which has formed the foundation for current therapies including cognitive behavioural therapy
limitations of wundts methods
methods are unreliable. it is difficult to report on behaviours that cannot be seen s researchers are reliant on participants reports of what they think.
inaccurate as there may be other factors involved in their thought processing
not everything is observable so cannot explain every behaviour
