Structuralist

• Describe Wundt's contribution to psychology?

  1873 - publishes "principles of physiological psychology" (one of the first books on psychology), allowing for psychology to become its own entity and branch with its own subject matter and methods. Also has one of the first academic journals on Psychology. 1879 - opens first experimental psych lab in Germany, and him and his followers begin implementing empiricism within their experiments, which allows for the development of the Structuralist approach
• Key principles of the structuralist approach


  determinism and predictability
• Criticisms of Wundt's contribution?


  focussed primarily on non-observable responses (Nisbett and Wilson 1977 claimed these internal attitudes and behaviours existed outside of our conscious awareness), meaning the data was subjective (opinionated) and therefore could not be properly measured and recorded. This meant that other researches in other laboratories could not replicate Wundt's experiments and get reproducible results, therefore deeming Wundt's findings unreliable
• What is meant by introspection?


  Allows for an individual to acquire more knowledge about their mental and emotional processes through observation and analysis of their thoughts, feelings and sensations (objective data) upon interacting with a stimulus

  Involved systematic reports of their experiences with the stimulus
• Two criticisms of introspection as a method of investigation


  Nisbett and Wilson (1977) claimed that we have little knowledge about the processes underlying, and causes of, our behaviours and attitudes. This is especially acute in studies of implicit attitudes such as racism and stereotyping.

  Implicit attitudes exist outside of our conscious awareness, and using introspection would not uncover the roots of these attitudes.
• Emergence of Psychology as a science?

  Relies heavily on a philosophical view known as empiricism, knowledge derived from experience & observation alone (sensory experience). Wundt & followers began integrating empiricism into their experiments, which allowed for psych to become its own separate entity (also published book and academic journal in 1873 and opened psych lab in 1879 which did same thing). New scientific approach based on two major assumptions: determinism and predictability. Technique used to explore these = scientific method, involves systematic, objective and replicable methods
• Strength of the scientific approach to psych


  Allows psychologists to test assumptions about behaviour and establish causes of behaviour through both empirical and replicable methods. Therefore if scientific theories no longer fit the facts they can be refined or abandoned, rendering scientific knowledge self-corrective
• Limitation of the scientific approach to psychology


  If human behaviour isn't subject to laws and regularities implied by scientific methods, predictions become impossible and the methods = inappropriate. Likewise, subject matter of psych = unobservable and therefore cannot be measured with any degree of accuracy
• What is a paradigm?


  Set of principles, methods and assumptions that all people working within that subject agree on. Psychology does not have a paradigm, as there is a lot of internal disagreement at its core, according to Thomas Kuhn