Wundt

• Wundt used structuralism, a reductionist apprach that breaks down

  the human experience into separate parts and isolates the structure of consciousness.
• Wundt used introspection in his studies which is the systematic analysis of your present conscious experience of a stimulus.
• Wundt's research was not empirical as emotions and feelings cannot be measured and are subjective. It was also unreliable as results varied hugely from participant to participant and general rules could not be established.
• Wundt's use of standardisation and replication helped psychology to emerge as a science. His work fed into later developments like the behaviourist approach which helped to establish cause and effect relationships and create general laws about human behaviour.
• Strengths of a scientific approach to psychology:

  • Scientific concepts are more credible and objective so people trust them more.
  • Replication means that mistakes can be spotted and corrected.
• Weaknesses of a scientific approach to psychology:

  • Scientific concepts often lack ecological validity.
  • It is difficult to study all aspects of psychology scientifically.