Origins of Psychology

• Who is known as the father of psychology?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• In what year did Wilhelm Wundt publish the first book on psychology?

  1873
• When did Wundt open the first psychology lab?

  1879
• What method did Wundt use to study the structure of the human mind?

  He used structuralism
• What is introspection in psychology?

  Introspection is the process of understanding and breaking down conscious thoughts and emotions
• How did Wundt establish psychology as a science?

  By using the scientific method.
• Is introspection still used today?

  Yes, it is used in therapy and studying emotional states.
• What are the criticisms of introspection according to behaviourist psychologists?

  • Produces subjective data
  • Results vary between participants
  • Unconscious thoughts cannot be observed or measured
  • Scientific psychology should focus on observable phenomena
• What are the two major assumptions of Wundt's scientific approach?

  1. All behaviour is seen as being determined.
  2. If behaviour is determined, it should be possible to predict behaviour in different conditions.
• What are the characteristics of scientific methods in psychology?

  • Objective
  • Systematic
  • Replicable
• What are the pros and cons of scientific methods in psychology?

  Pros:

  • Establishes causes of behaviour
  • Develops theories and treatments
  • Produces accurate knowledge and facts

  
  

  Cons:

  • Objectivity may limit understanding
  • Some human behaviours cannot be observed scientifically
• What is structuralism?


  the use of experimental methods to find the basic building blocks of thoughts and investigate how they interacted
• What did Wundt do to study structuralism?

  studied sensation and perception

  it broke observations of objects and images down into constituent parts

  studied reaction times
• What was one of Wundt's main contributions?

  he separated psychology from philosophy and biology and became the first person to be called a psychologist
• What did Wundt inspire other's to do?

  apply introspection to more complex mental processes

  e.g. learning, language, emotions
• What did Watson argue in 2013?

  that introspection should not be considered scientific as it was not based on observations