The origins of psychology

• What does psychology stem from?

  Philosophy
• Who is considered the father of psychology?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• When did Wundt set up the Institute for Experimental Psychology?

  1879
• What technique did Wundt develop for studying the mind?

  Introspection
• What does introspection involve?

  Analyzing one's own thoughts, feelings, and sensations towards a chosen stimulus.
• Under what conditions did introspection take place?

  Tightly controlled conditions with the same standardised procedure and stimulus every time.
• What is a strength of introspection?

  It is easy to replicate.

  This is because all introspections are recorded under strictly controlled conditions using the same stimulus and same standardised procedures with every participant, every time.

  This is a strength because the introspections can be repeated, and the reliability of the data can be checked - starting point for psychology to be considered a science.
• Whats a strength of introspection HOWEVER part

  When introspections were replicated on the same people, with the same stimulus, later, consistent findings were not found suggesting that the data introspections produce may be unreliable.
• What is a weakness of introspection?

  Low internal validity.

  This is because it relied on participants self-reporting their mental processes. It's difficult to explain our own thought processes therefore participants may not have been explaining these accurately and data is also highly subjective.

  This is a limitation because introspection may not successfully measure mental processes. It also suggests that introspection was flawed and would not meet today’s criteria of scientific enquiry.
• What are the key stages in the emergence of psychology as a science?

  1. 1879: Wundt studies the mind scientifically.
  2. Early 1900s: Introspection deemed too subjective; behaviorists focus on observable behavior.
  3. 1930s: Behaviorists study learned behaviors through controlled lab experiments.
  4. 1950/60s: Cognitive revolution studies mental processes scientifically.
  5. 1990s: Biological approach uses technology for studying behavior.