Wundt And Introspection Flashcards
Wilhem wundt
Father of psychology
When did Wilhem Wundt make the first lab dedicated to psychology
1879
Where was the lab
Liepzig, Germany
Why was Wundts work significant?
because it marked the beginning of scientific psychology
What did Wundt do?
structuralism
he used scientific methods to study human consciousness by breaking its structure down into smaller components, such as sensations and perceptions. (introspection)
What was Wundt technique called?
introspection
What does introspection mean?
Introspection means “looking into” and is the process in which a person examines their inner world, by consciously observing
their thoughts and emotions.
What did Wundt do with his participants?
Wundt trained his participants so that they could give detailed observations from their
introspection.
He strictly controlled the environment where introspection took place, including the stimuli (e.g. images or sounds) and tasks (e.g. a description of their perception or emotions) that participants were asked to consider.
What did Wundt use the information from participants for
The information
Wundt gleaned from his participants’ introspection was used to shed light on the processes involved in human consciousness.
Describe Wundt’s role in the development of psychology.
(Total 6 marks)
(exam q)
Credit mediational processes relevant to Bradley’s situation e.g.
• Wundt known as ‘the father of psychology’ – moved from philosophical roots to
controlled research.
• Set up the first psychology laboratory in Liepzig, Germany in 1870s.
• Promoted the use of introspection as a way of studying mental processes.
• Introspection – systematic analysis of own conscious experience of a stimulus.
• An experience was analysed in terms of its component parts e.g. sensations,
emotional reaction etc.
• His work paved the way for later controlled research and the study of mental
processes e.g. by cognitive psychologists.
Millie is asked to do a class presentation on introspection. As part of her presentation she
said, ‘Introspection is thinking about our own thoughts.’
After the presentation, her classmates said they had learned very little about introspection.
Explain what else Millie could have said about the major features of introspection so that
her classmates would be better informed.
(Total 4 marks)
(exam q)
Application could include reference to other features of introspection as follows:
• Focus on being objective
• Reflection on sensations, feelings and images
• Wundt would ask people to focus on an everyday object and look inwards noticing
sensations and feelings and images
• Breaking thoughts about an object down into separate elements
• Systematic reporting of an experience of object
• Specific examples eg use of metronome
Which of the following statements best describes Wundt’s use of the term introspection?
Shade one box only.
A) Explaining behaviour by studying the
biological bases of cognitive functions.
B) Explaining behaviour without the need to
consider thoughts and feelings.
C) Investigating external events through
observation and measurement.
D) Investigating internal events by examining
conscious thoughts and feeling
D
Which of the psychologists A, B, C or D is best known in relation to the emergence of
psychology as a science? Shade one box only.
A Pavlov
B Skinner
C Bandura
D Wundt
D
Which of the following sentences best describes Wundt’s method of introspection? Shade one box only. Introspection involves … A performing mental calculations.
B reporting present experience.
C describing events from the
past.
D outlining hopes for the future.
B
