Wundt - introspection

• What two things did Wundt do that had never been done before in the field of psychology?

  What did these things contribute to the emergence of psychology as a science?

  1. He set up the first psychology lab in 1879 in Liepzig, Germany. (all subsequent psychological laboratories were closely modelled to the Wundt model in their early years).

  He published the first book on psychology called "Principles of Physiological Psychology"

  2. These helped establish the subject as an independent branch of science.
• What is introspection?


  The systematic analysis of ones own conscious experience in terms of its component parts, e.g. sensations, emotional reactions etc.
• How did Wundt separate psychology from philosophy?


  He analysed the mind with controlled, objective and scientific research. For example, he strictly controlled the environments where his experiments took place (during his study on introspection, participants were presented with standardised sensory events such as a ticking metronome, and they were trained in giving detailed observations).
• What is a positive criticism of Wundt's use of scientific methods?


  It established causes of behaviour that are empirical and replicable - this means his research could be replicated by other psychologists, and his work (along with psychology as a science) could be legitimised.
• What did Wundt's study on introspection later pave the way for?


  His work stimulated an interest in cognitive psychology and paved the way for the emergence of cognitive neuroscience.
• What is a positive criticism of introspection? (a way it can be applied in the real world)


  It has a practical application in the modern world, helping us gain access to cognitive processes - for example, Griffiths used introspection to study the cognitive processes of gamblers, asking them to 'think aloud' whilst playing. This led to treatments for gambling addiction, showing that introspection still has a use today and has contributed to our understanding of human behaviour.
• What is a negative criticism of introspection? (some psychologists today argue...)


  Some psychologists today argue it is not scientific - for example, Skinner argues the results of introspection are subjective and cannot be verified as only observable behaviour can be objectively measured. Therefore, even if the methods used to introspect are scientific, as one can only infer that participants are thinking about what they are being asked to, one could argue introspection is not.
• What did Wundt himself believe about his own method?


  Wundt himself believed the experimental method was limited in scope, and that other methods would be necessary if all aspects of human psychology were to be investigated.