Origins Of Psychology : Wundt Flashcards
What did Wundt do? (Achievements)
• in 1873 he published the first book on psychology
• in 1879 he opened the first psychology laboratory in Germany
• he is often considered the “father of psychology”
Explain Wundt’s approach to the study of psychology
His approach was to study the structure of the human mind, by breaking down behaviours into their basic elements, hence his approach became known as structuralism.
What was Wundt’s pioneering method known as?
Introspection
Explain introspection
Recording of own conscious thoughts, with the aim of breaking them down into their constituent parts e.g. thoughts, images and sensations. This isolating of the structure of consciousness was called structuralism.
How were introspections recorded? Explain the procedures
All introspections were recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus every time. The same standardised instructions were issued to all participants, and this allowed procedures to be repeated every time.
Why was Wundt’s work significant?
It marked the separation of modern scientific psychology from its philosophical roots.
Who questioned the scientific status of psychology?
Watson
Why did Watson question the scientific status of psychology?
Watson questioned introspection because it produced data that was subjective so it became difficult to establish general principles.
Why was Watson also critical of introspection?
He was critical of introspection’s focus on ‘private’ mental processes and said that a truly scientific psychology should study phenomena that could be observed and measured.
From these observations, Watson created the Behaviourist approach.
Outline how Watson and Skinner supported the emergence of psychology as a science
They brought the language, rigour and methods of the natural sciences into psychology.
Explain how the behaviourist approach is scientific
They focus on the scientific processes involved in learning, alongside the use of carefully controlled lab experiments are observed in research and practice.
Explain how the biological approach is scientific
It makes use of experimental data. Researchers within this area have taken advantage of recent advances in technology to investigate physiological processes as they happen, including live activity in the brain using scanning techniques such as FMRI + EEG
