Origins of Psychology:Wundt

Question 1

The nature and origins of psychology:

Answer 1

1. Relatively new discipline
2. Roots in the early 17th-19th century from experimental philosophy.
3. Early influences like Rene Descartes, who believed the body was separate from the mind

Question 2

John Locke:

Answer 2

1. Believed in empiricism, all behaviour is learnt from experiences
2. Blank slate theory

Question 3

Who was Wilhelm Wundt and what were his contributions to psychology?

Answer 3

1. Published the 1st book on psychology called ‘Principles of Physiological Psychology’ in 1873
2. 1879, he opened the first psychology lab
3. His approach was to study the structure of the human mind by breaking down behaviour into their basic elements
4. This is called structuralism

Question 4

What is introspection?

Answer 4

1. Reflect on their own cognitive processes and describe them.
2. Established psychology as a science by using the scientific method.

Question 5

What assumption Wundt’s method operate on?

Answer 5

1. All behaviour is determined- as being caused
2. If behaviour is determined it should be possible to predict how they would act in different conditions

Question 6

What are the three conditions of the scientific method?

Answer 6

1. Objective
2. Systematic
3. Replicable

Question 7

What are some criticisms of introspection?

Answer 7

1. Participants can only reflect on conscious experiences, not on unconscious factors.
2. Data gathered is subjective making it difficult to establish general principles and reproducible results.