Origins of Psychology

• What does Structuralism mean?

  To be able to explore the human ‘mind’ through the use of introspection. We could study the structure of the mind through thought processes and perception
• What is Introspection?

  Introspection is a method used in the Structuralist approach, to understand an individuals inner most thoughts, feelings and sensations, by isolating the structures of the mind.
• What are the positives of Introspection?

  • considers emotions
  • kept everything the same
• What are the negatives of Introspection?

  • person could have lied
  • events beforehand may have altered mood and emotions - not good for overall feelings
• What are the strengths of Structuralism?

  • systematic and well-controlled
  • all recorded in a controlled lab environment, reduce extraneous variables being a factor
  • all participants received same information and tested in the same way
• What are the weaknesses of Structuralism?

  • subjective data - influenced by personal perspective
  • unscientific today
  • participants self-reported their own mental processes
  • participants may have hidden thoughts