Origins of Psychology

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Created by
Emily Page

Cards (6)

  • Rene Descartes 

    Cartesian dualism
    Claimed that the body and mind are independent entities and the mind can be studied in its own right
    French Philosopher
  • John Locke 

    Empiricism
    Claimed that all human experience is obtained through senses
    Human beings do not inherit knowledge or instinct
    This view formed the basis of behaviourism
  • Wundt

    Structuralism - breaking down the structure of our consciousness into constituents (thoughts, attentional processes, sensations, perceptions, memory)
    Opened first psychological lab to study human behaviour in a systematic way.
    His method was introspection - asking people to report on their current conscious experiences.
  • Charles Darwin

    Evolution
    Claimed that animal and human behaviour evolves over time
    Individuals with stronger genes survive
  • Strength of Wundt 

    Marked the beginning of the scientific study of humans
    He recorded introspections in a controlled lab environment
    He used standardised procedures an instructions
    Suggests he has made a valid contribution to psychology
  • Weakness of Wundt
    His methods lack scientific rigour
    He relied on subjective reports about participants' internal mental processes - participants may lie or hide their thoughts and feelings.
    Therefore it is difficult to establish laws of human behaviour.
    Wundt's approach lacks validity