Evaluation of Origins of Psychology

Question 1

What are the strengths of introspection?

Answer 1

Certain aspects of introspection are scientific.

Modern forms of introspection have been developed.

Question 2

What are the limitations of introspection & the emergence of psychology as a science?

Answer 2

There are non-scientific aspects of introspection.

There are also non-scientific aspects of psychological approaches.

Question 3

Explain the strength of certain aspects of introspection being scientific.

Answer 3

P - One strength of Wundt’s work is that certain aspects of
introspection are scientific.

E - For example, introspection activities took place within controlled
laboratory environments to minimise the impact of extraneous variables, e.g. distractions from other people, which would interfere with the personal experiences being measured.

E - He also used standardised procedures so that all participants were tested in the same way to
enable the method to be replicated.

E -

R - This focus on experimental control was a forerunner to
later scientific approaches in psychology, such as behaviourism, that still exist today.

Question 4

Explain the limitation of introspection having non-scientific aspects.

Answer 4

P - A limitation of Wundt’s introspection method is that there are also non scientific aspects of this method.

E - For example, participants who take part in introspection are required to self-report their private mental processes.

E - This is an issue as this data is subjective which means participants choose what experiences to report, which may not be accurate and can therefore decrease the validity of the findings.

E - Additionally, different participants may report
different experiences each time introspection is used.

R - This is a limitation as the findings lack reliability which makes it difficult to establish general laws of how people think based on research using introspection alone.

Question 5

Explain the strength of modern forms of introspection being developed.

Answer 5

P -

E -

E -

E -

R -

Question 6

Explain the limitation of there being non-scientific aspects of psychological approaches.

Answer 6

P - A limitation of some of the approaches adopted within psychology is the use of non-scientific methods.

E - For example, humanistic psychology focuses on unique subjective experiences with no attempt to formulate general laws of thoughts and behaviour.

E - Additionally, the psychodynamic approach makes use of case studies and favours the use of clinical interviews

R - This is a limitation as this means the findings from individuals may not be representative and interpretations of data are open to bias.