The orgins of psychology Flashcards
(21 cards)
Who was Wilhelm Wundt (5)
*One of the first people to study behaviour using scientific techniques
*Made Introspection
*Set up the world’s first laboratory for the use of psychology in Liepzig
*He produced one of the worlds first books on psychology
*Separated psychology from philosophy through the use of scientific methods
Define psychology
The scientific study of behaviour and mental processes and how these are affected by internal and external factors
Define introspection
A systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts images and sensations
Wilhelm Wundt(father of psychology) made this
Introspection is not a direct observation just an infernece
Define science
Discovering the physical and natural world systematically and objectively using methods such as observation and experimentation
Who disagreed with the subjective nature of introspection
John B Watson and Skinner.Skinner said that the findings differed from individual to individual and Watson said it produced subjective data
The two men were behaviourists
Why was introspection signifcant
It marked the separation of the modern scientfic psychology from its broader philosophical roots
How were introspections recorded
They were recorded under strict conditions using the same stimulus every time so it could be replicated every single time
*controlled procedure
What is empiricism
The belief that scientists must test their ideas and base their conclusions on data collected from the real world and not just accept theories or logical arguements
What did empiricsm lead to
The behaviourst appraoch-the world can be understood by investigating external events that are observed and measured
Define systematic
Using a fixed or controlled method which decreses the intial result being due to chance
What is the process of introspection
- Participants are trained to report conscious experineces
- then they would be asked ro focus on a sensory object (usually a ticking metronome)
- Participants would then systematically report their expeirnce by vreaking thrir thoughts into separate elements
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the scientfic method
Strengths:experiments are repeatbale by anyone
Provides a framerowkr for undrdtanding
Reliable at finding the truth
WEaknesses:human error
Most subjective methods of psychology cant be observed so it cant be measured arrcuetly
loses ecological validdity
What is ecological validity
The extent to which bheviours observed and recorded in a study reflect the behaviours that actually occur in the real world
What is a negative to introscpection
It is based on inferences so very objective
Evaluations of Wundt and introspection Pros (4) scientific
- One strength of Wundt’s actions is that For his time his work was highly scientific which inspired later psychologsists to also study the mind.
*His use of inferneces influeced cognitive psychologsists but rather than asking participants what’s happenng in their mind they ask ppts to complete tasks under experimental conditions
He was one of the first to argue that behaviours are determined, so they have a cause that can be studied.
*furthermore,Wundt’s focus on mental processes through introspection can be seen as a forerunner of the cognitive approach.
*This is a strength as it paved the way for researchers to find ways to test what is not observable e.g. thoughts, feelings, memory, perception
Evaluations of Wundt and introspection(2) Cons
*Compared to modern psychology Wundts work is not classified as scientific because of the subjective nature of
introspection as participants cannot accruately report on their own mental states and could be biased(also demad chacrteristics
Wundts work is also not scientific because of his use of inferneces to identify internam mental states
What is a strength of the Scientific method
It strictly controls conditions which reduces and controls the effects of confounding and extraneous variables increasing the reliability
What is the Scientific method
Scientific method– refers to the use of investigative methods that are objective ,systematic and replicable as well as the formulation of testing and modification of hypotheses based off these methods
Limitation of introspection-Replicability (3)
*The process of introspection is not replicable as it relies on the subjective focus on individual sensations and perceptions
*Wundt himself encountered difficulty replicating sessions of introspection
*This in turn limits the reliability of introspection as a scientific method
Unreplicable methods Wundt con ()
One limtation is that behaviourists criticised that his approach was based on non observable responses.
Although participants reported on their conscious experiences, the processes of memory or perception were considered to be unobservable constructions.
There was a lack of reliability in his methods and his experimental methods were not easily reproducible
Inaccuracy of introspection
Inaccuracy of introspection- Nisbett and Wilson( 1977) claim that we have very little knowledge of processes underlying our behaviours and attitudes.They found that participants were unaware of factors that had been influential in their choice of a consumer item
