Paper 2 - Approaches In Psychology - Topic 4 - Origins Of Psychology Flashcards
What did Wilhelm Wundt open in 1879?
Wundt opened the first lab dedicated entirely to psychological enquiry in Leipzig, Germany
What is significant about Wundt’s work?
It marked the beginning of scientific psychology, separating it from its philosophical roots
What method did Wundt develop?
Wundt’s pioneering method became known as introspection
What were Wundt’s main objectives?
To develop theories about mental processes, such as language and perception
How did Wundt and his co-workers categorise their observations?
They divided their observations into three categories: thoughts, images, and sensations
What is structuralism?
Isolating the structure of consciousness by presenting stimuli in the same order and issuing the same instructions to all participants
What was psychology considered in the 17th to 19th century?
Psychology was considered a branch of philosophy, often referred to as experimental philosophy
What significant event occurred in psychology in 1879?
Wilhelm Wundt opened the first experimental psychology lab in Germany
What did Sigmund Freud emphasise in the 1900s?
The influence of the unconscious mind on behaviour and the development of psychoanalysis
What did John B. Watson establish in 1913?
The Behaviourist approach, which focused on observable phenomena
What did Carl Roger’s and Abraham Maslow develop in the 1950s?
The humanistic approach, emphasising self-determination and free will
What defines science?
Science involves building knowledge through systematic and objective measurement to discover general laws
What did behaviourists like Watson and Skinner focus on?
They focused on observable behaviours and used controlled experiments
What metaphor did cognitive psychologists use in the 1950s?
They likened the mind to a computer, testing predictions about memory and attention
What advancements did the biological approach utilise in the 1980s?
Advances in technology, such as fMRI and EEG, to study live brain activity
What is a strength of Wundt’s work?
Some methods were systematic and well-controlled, making them scientific
What is a limitation of Wundt’s research?
It relied on subjective self-reporting, making it difficult to establish general laws
What did Wundt contribute to psychology?
He produced the first academic journal for psychological research and wrote the first textbook
What did cognitive neuroscience investigate towards the end of the 20th century?
How biological structures influence mental states
What is a paradigm according to Thomas Kuhn?
A set of principles, assumptions, and methods agreed upon by those in a scientific field
What is a strength of modern psychology?
It can claim to be scientific, using methods similar to natural sciences
What is a limitation of psychology as a science?
Not all approaches use objective methods, and human beings are active participants in research
