The Origins of Psychology Flashcards
What is psychology?
The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context.
What is introspection?
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.
Who opened the first lab dedicated to psychology?
Wundt
Where was the first lab of psychology opened?
Leipzig, Germany
When was the first lab dedicated to psychology opened?
1879
What was Wundt’s aim?
Document and describe the nature of human consciousness.
What was Wundt’s pioneering method called?
Introspection
What is the way Wundt isolated the structure of consciousness also known as?
Structuralism
Would Wundt’s methods and techniques be regarded as scientific today? Why?
Yes, all introspections were recorded under controlled conditions with the same stimulus every time. There were also standardised instructions.
What was the stimulus in Wundt’s introspection?
A ticking metronome.
Standardised instructions were issued, what does this mean?
The procedure could be easily replicated every single time.
Why was Wundt’s work significant?
Marked the separation of modern scientific psychology from its broader philosophical roots.
What is science?
A means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. The aim is to discover general laws.
Strength of Wundt’s methods?
Would be classed as scientific today due to controlled lab environment and standardised procedure. Could be considered as a forerunner to later scientific approaches in psychology that were still to come.
Weakness of Wundt’s methods?
Some aspects are not considered scientific today. He relied on self-report data about ‘private’ mental processes - subjective and may have not told the truth. Thoughts would not have been same every time- hard to establish a general law. Early studies were naive and did not meet scientific enquiry.
