The process of studying the mind is known as introspection.
Wundt's lab
First lab ever dedicated to psychology
Opened in 1879 by Wundt In Germany
Objective was to document & describe nature of human consciousness
Method set to be known as introspection
Introspection = Wundt & co workers recording own conscious thoughts
Aim of breaking down into their constituent parts
Isolating structure of consciousness is called structuralism
Controlled methods
Methods used by Wundt would come to be known as scientific.
All introspections recorded under controlled conditions using same stimulus each time
Same instructions issued to all participants allowing it to be repeated
Wundt's work significant as it marked separation of modern scientific psychology from old and broader philosophical roots
John B Watson rejected introspection as it involved too many concepts that were vague and difficult to measure and as a result behaviourists relied on lab experiments
Define structuralism
The approach he used which involved analysing conscious thoughts by breaking them down into constituent parts such as thoughts, sensations etc
A01 exam practice - Describe Wundt's role in the development of psychology
Evaluate Wundt'scontribution to psychology - 4 marks
Outline and evaluate Wundt's role in the emergence of psychology as a science