wundt 1870s

Question 1

what year

Answer 1

1879

Question 2

what method

Answer 2

introspection

Question 3

science definition

Answer 3

finding out systematically and objectively about the physical and natural world using observation and experimentation

Question 4

psychology definition

Answer 4

the scientific study of mind and behaviour

Question 5

systematic definition

Answer 5

working according to a fixed/controlled, standardised plan or system

Question 6

empiricism

Answer 6

based on tested experimentation, not theory or logical argument

Question 7

scientific methodology

Answer 7

systematic observation, measurement and experiment, and the formation, testing and modification of hypothesis

Question 8

interference

Answer 8

after observing repeated instances of a behaviour to a stimulus, making conclusions about the fundamental nature of the mind on the basis of these observations

Question 9

what is wundt known as and why

Answer 9

the father of psychology. he moved the study of the mind from its philosophical roots to controlled empirical scientific research

Question 10

where did he set up the first psychology lab and when

Answer 10

Liepzig, Germany in 1870s

Question 11

What is introspection

Answer 11

a process of looking inwards/self examination, it is a systematic analysis of own conscious experience of a standard stimulus, reporting present experience

Question 12

what was the stimulus used?

Answer 12

a metronome

Question 13

how was the inward experience analysed?

Answer 13

in terms of its component parts, eg sensations, emotional reaction, mental images, thoughts would be broken down into separate elements. And the participant would be asked to report these

Question 14

how was the research systematic

Answer 14

it had the same stimulus, the same physical surroundings and the same instructions, the participants were also highly trained

Question 15

why is the approach called structuralism

Answer 15

breaking thoughts about an object down into separate elements was an attempt to uncover the structure of the mind

Question 16

strength of wundt

Answer 16

scientific
his methods were scientific and well-controlled
all introspections were recorded in a controlled environment of the lab, ensuring that possible extraneous variables were not a factor.
procedures and instructions were standardised

Question 17

limitation of wundt

Answer 17

subjective data
relied on participants self-reporting their mental processes.
participants could have hidden some of their thoughts
difficult to establish laws with subjective behaviour
methods were flaws and did not meet criteria of scientific enquiry

Question 18

problems with introspection

Answer 18

it doesnt explain how the mind works - it relies on people describing their thoughts and feelings, which usually isnt objective

it doesnt provide data that can be used reliably - because people are reporting on their experiences, their accounts cant be confirmed

Question 19

wundt believed in reductionism

Answer 19

reductionism is the idea that things can be reduced to simple cause-and-effect processes - wundt came from a biological background, and so he believed that the underlying structure of human experience could be broken down into smaller, measurable parts - he used introspection to measure these parts