The Origins of Psychology Flashcards
Who is known as ‘the father of psychology’?
Willhelm Wundt
What did Wilhelm Wundt do?
He moved away from the Greek Philosophical study of the mind
In what way did Wundt believe the mind should be studied?
In a logical and structured way (psychological)
What did Wundt set up and when?
A laboratory in Leipzig in the 1870’s dedicated to psychological research
What term did Wundt promote?
Introspection
What are the two definitions of introspection?
A way of examining our own thoughts, and reflecting on thoughts and emotions and memories and examining what they mean
or
A research technique developed by Wundt which got people to carefully analyse their own thoughts
What did Wundt get people to do in his laboratory?
Analyse everyday objects and analyse the experience (how it made them feel etc)
What are the good parts about introspection and Wundt;s work?
It paved the way for later controlled scientific research
It moved the study of the mind in to a realm which could be tested, with the aim of control
What is bad about introspection?
It is unreliable as it is subjective and every person is different so results cannot be generalised to everyone
