Origins of psychology 2

• 1900's behaviourists

  • introspection produced subjective data therefore hard to establish general laws
  • Watson and B.F Skinner proposed that behaviours should only be studied if observed objectively and measured
  • behaviourists focussed on behaviours they could see and used controlled experiments
• 1950's cognitive approach

  • digital revolution allows psychologists to link mind to computer e.g multi-store model and tested predictions using experiments
• 1980's biological approach

  • advances into technology allowed for more research into physiological processed as they happen e.g fMRI and EEG for brain scanning and genetic testing
• Strength

  1. modern psychology can claim to be scientific - psychology has same aims as natural science. learning, cognitive, biological approaches all use scientific techniques to test claims, suggests that throughout 20th century psychology has established itself as a science
• Limitation

  1. not all approaches use objective methods - humanistic approach rejects scientific approach focussing on individual/subjective experience, psychodynamic approach used case studies which don't have representative samples, any human ps in a study may fall into demand characteristics, therefore scientific approach to study human thought may not always be desirable/possible