the origins of psychology

Question 1

Why is Wundt known as the father of psychology?

Answer 1

• moved the study of the mind from philosophy to controlled research
• published one of the first books on psychology

Question 2

Where was the first experimental psychology lab established?

Answer 2

Liepzig, Germany

Question 3

When was the first experimental psychology lab established?

Answer 3

1879

Question 4

What was the aim of the first experimental psychology lab?

Answer 4

To describe the nature of human conciousness

Question 5

What was introspection?

Answer 5

The first systematic attempt to study the mind and mental processes

Question 6

What is structuralism?

Answer 6

Concious awareness was broken down into 3 basic categories

Question 7

What are the 3 aspects of structuralism?

Answer 7

Thoughts, images and sensations

Question 8

What made introspection controlled research?

Answer 8

The same standardised instructions were given to all participants

Question 9

Why did the controlled conditions matter?

Answer 9

All introspection procedures could be repeated (replicated) identically every time

Question 10

What did the controlled conditions of Wundt’s introspections lead to?

Answer 10

Paved the way for psychology to be seen as more scientific

Question 11

What’s an example of a Wundt introspective experiment?

Answer 11

The clicking of a metronome

Question 12

What were the findings from the metronome introspection?

Answer 12

• quick ticking = excitement
• slow ticking = relaxed
• felt tense when anticipating the next click
• felt relief when it finished clicking

Question 13

What was an issue with introspective experiments?

Answer 13

conflictng reports = difficult to find real conclusions

Question 14

Wundt recorded all introspections in a controlled lab environment

Answer 14

strength

Question 15

standardised procedure- participants recieved the same information and were tested in the same way

Answer 15

strength

Question 16

What did Wundt’s controlled conditions mean?

Answer 16

His research can be considered a forerunner to the later scientific approaches in psychology

Question 17

What was an issue with participants self reporting their own ‘private’ mental processes?

Answer 17

• subective data
• participants may have held back info
• participants will not have been aware of of aspects of their mind which we are not conciously aware of

Question 18

What was an aim of science which introspection did not meet?

Answer 18

establishing general principles- important so prediciton of future behaviour becomes possiple

Question 19

Why was Wundt not able to establish general laws?

Answer 19

Too many conflicting reports were coming in, as the data was subjective

Question 20

When did John Watson criticise introspection?

Answer 20

1913

Question 21

What was Watson’s criticism of introspection?

Answer 21

It’s subjective, in that it varied from person to person

Question 22

What did Watson believe to be true scientific psychology?

Answer 22

It should only study phenonema that can be observed and measured

Question 23

What were key features of behaviourism?

Answer 23

focused on learning, and the use of carefully controlled lab experiments

Question 24

What are the main aims of psychology as a science?

Answer 24

to describe, understand, predict and control behaviour

Question 25

Which approaches rely on sceintific methods?

Answer 25

Learning approaches- cognitive and biological approach

Question 26

What are the aims of the scientific approaches?

Answer 26

To investigate theories in a controlled, and unbiased way

Question 27

Why do some people argue psychology cannot be considered a science?

Answer 27

humanistic approach, psychodynamic approach- subjective- documents unique subjective experience