origins of psychology

Question 1

what were the origins of psychology?

Answer 1

• wundt opened the first experimental psychology lab in leipzig, germany in 1879, so psychology began to emerge as its own discipline
• psychodynamic = 1900
• behaviourist = 1913
• humanist = 1950s
• cognitive 1960s
• biological = 1980s
• cognitive neuroscience = 2000

Question 2

wilhelm wundt

Answer 2

• his approach became known as structuralism as he used scientific methods to study human consciousness by breaking it into smaller components
• he developed introspection, where someone examines their inner world by consciously observing their thoughts and feelings

Question 3

the emergence of psychology as a science

Answer 3

• wundt showed empirical methods could be applied to mental processes
• watson and skinner criticised the subjectivity of personal observations, and emphasised the importance of scientific processes and controlled lab experiments
• cognitive psychologists make inferences from human behaviour
• the biological approach uses technology such as brain scans like fMRI and PET scans

Question 4

issues and debates

Answer 4

• wundts use of introspection is idiographic, but this was criticised by behaviourists as universal principles cant be generated from introspection. They suggest a nomothetic approach would be better
• over the years psych has become more scientific due to methods for studying the brain. The use of experimental methods in biopsych shows scientific advancements