the origins of psychology Flashcards
who opened first ever psychology only lab
Wundt
when did Wundt open first psychology only lab
1879
where did Wundt open first psychology only lab
Leipzig, Germany
why is Wundt’s work significant
marked beginning of scientific psychology, separating it form its philosophical roots
what was Wundt’s aim
to analyse the nature of human consciousness
what did Wundt have the first attempt at
first systematic attempt to study the mind under controlled conditions
what did Wundt’s method become known as
introspection
introspection
first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic thoughts, images and sensations
what does introspection break up conscious awareness into
-basic thoughts
-imaged
-sensations
psychology definition
scientific study of the mind, behavior and experience
science definition
a means of acquiring knowledge through systematic and objective investigation. the aim is to discover general laws
what did Wundt aim to use
standardised procedures
what was one of Wundt’s main objectives
develop theories about mental processes such as language and perception
how did Wundt and co-workers record experiences
recorded experiences of various stimuli into thoughts, images and sensations
structuralism
isolating structure of consciousness as Wundt did
what was set about stimuli Wundt used
always presented in the same order and same instructions were issued to all participants
science
building knowledge through systematic objective measurement. its aim is to discover general laws
what were the 3 approaches emerging psychology as a science
-behaviorists
-cognitive approach
-biological approach
when was behaviorist approach
1900s
how did behaviorists help with emergence of psychology as a science
-introspection was questioned, notably by Watson, as produced subjective data so was difficult to establish general rules
-Watson and Skinner proposed that scientific psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed objectively and measured
how did cognitive approach help with emergence of psychology as a science
-digital revolution of 1950s gave a new generation of psychologists a metaphor for studying the mind
-likened mind to a computer and tested predictions of memory and attention using experiments
-ensured that the study of the mind was a legitimate and highly scientific aspect of discipline
strength of Wundt’s work
-some of his methods are systematic and well controlled
-all introspection were recorded in controlled environment of the lab, ensuring extraneous variables are not a problem. procedures were standardised so participants received same information and tested in the same way –> suggests that Wundt’s research can be considered to be a forerunner to later scientific approaches such as behaviorist approach
limitation of Wundt’s work
-some aspects of Wundt’s work would be considered unscientific today
-Wundt relied on participants self-reporting their mental processes. this data is subjective (influenced by a personal perspective) and participants may have hidden their thoughts. it is difficult to establish meaningful ‘laws of behaviour’ from such data. And general laws are useful to predict future behaviour, one of the aims of science –> suggests that some of Wundt’s early efforts to study mind were flawed and could not meet criteria of scientific enquiry
strength of psychology as a science
-modern psychology claims to be scientific
-psychology has the same aims as natural sciences, to describe, understand, predict and control behaviour. the learning approaches, cognitive approach and biological approach all rely on use of scientific methods, for example, lab studies to investigate theories in a controlled and unbiased way –> suggests throughout 20th century and beyond, psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline
limitation of psychology as a science
-not all approaches use scientific methods
-humanistic approach rejects scientific approach, preferring to focus on individual experiences and subjective experience. psychodynamic approach makes use of case studies which do not use representative samples. humans are also active participants in research which respond for example demand characteristics –> therefore a scientific approach to the study of human thought and experience may not always be desirable or possible
evaluation of Wundt’s research
Wundt produced the first academic journal for psychological research and wrote the first textbook. he is often referred to as the founder of modern psychology. it is even suggested that Wundt’s pioneering research set the foundation for approaches that were to come, particularly the behaviorist approach and cognitive psychology
evaluation of psychology as a science
the philosopher kuhn said that any science must have a paradigm: a set of principles, assumptions and methods that all people who work within that subject agree on. he said psychology is not a science because it does not have a paradigm as there is so much internal disagreement at its core
