The origins of psychology and the scientific method

• 1596-1650 Rene Descartes had the concept of cartesian dualism-the mind and body are separate entities - the brain and the mind are not the same.
• 1832-1704 John Locke's concept of empiricism- the belief that all true knowledge is derived from sensory experiences- marked the emergence of the idea that the scientific method should be used.
• 1892-1883 evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin set the stage for the emergence of psychology as we know it today.
• 1873 - William Wundt- known as the "father of psychology".- published the first book on psychology called "the principles of physiological psychology. - he opened the first psychology lab in Leipzig Germany. - he established the scientific method.
• Introspection- investigating the mind. Means "looking into" in Latin. Refers to the examination of ones own conscious thoughts and feelings.
• structuralism- is studying the mind structures, breaking down consciousness into basic methods.
• strengths of introspection involved using features of scientific enquiry such as being standardises and procedures were replicable. weaknesses included being unable to comment on unconscious behaviours, data was subjective and people could lie.
• The scientific method involves techniques used to explore the assumptions that behaviour is determined and therefore predictable in different conditions. Methods must be objective (not bias), standardised (the same) and replicable.