Origins of Psychology Flashcards
First Psychology Lab
Wundt established in Leipzig, Germany in 1879
What was Wundt’s aim in creating first psychology lab
To describe the nature of the human consciousness in a carefully controled and scientific environment
Introspection
Examining conscious thought, including reflection on sensations + feelings under carefully controlled conditions
Who pioneered introspection?
Wundt. The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind
Controlled procedures
Standardised instructions were given to ppts and stimuli was presented in the same order
Structuralism
Introspection led to identifying the structure of consciousness by breaking it up into the basic structures: thoughts, images, sensations
- marked beginning of scientific psychology
Emergence of psychology as a science 1900s
Watson rejected introspection as it’s subjective
- behavourists say scientific psychology needs to be able to be observed and measured
Emergence of psychology as a science 1930s
Skinner’s behaviourist focus on learning and use of carefully controlled lab studies dominated psychology
Emergence of Psychology as a science 1950s
Cognitive approach studies mental processes scientifically
Emergence of psychology as a science 1980s
Bio approach introduced tech advances, including recording brain activity using scanning techniques
Wundt AO3 +
Aspects are scientific
- recorded introspection within controlled lab environment
- standardised procedures
Wundt AO3 -
subjective research
- self report mental processes
- can’t estabish meaninful law of behaviour
psychology as a science AO3 +
modern psychology can claim to be scientific
- same aims of natural sciences - to describe, understand, predict, and control behaviour
- use lab studies which are controlled and unbiased
psychology as a sciene AO3 -
some approaches use subjective data
- humanistic
- psychodynamic
study humans who are active ppts and therefore respond to demand characteristic
