Origins of Psychology

• Psychology is a science.
• Psychology originated around the 1800s when the first lab experiment was established.
• Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions.
• Science is a means of acquiring new information through systematic and objective investigation, with the aim to discover general laws.
• Introspection is the scientific study of one’s thoughts and feelings, with the aim of breaking the conscious into smaller parts.
• The aim of the laboratory experiment is to create general laws.
• In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt opens the first experimental psychology lab in Germany. This seperated psychology from its philosophical roots.
• Introspection involves an experiment set up, under controlled conditions, participants are presented with a stimulus, then they were asked to provide a description of the inner processes they experienced due to the stimulus.
• A strength of Wundt’s introspection is its scientific approach. The use of the same systematic methods makes it more scientific. All introspections were recorded in the controlled environment of the lab, meaning that extraneous variables could be controlled. Also, all instructions were standardised, so all participants received the same instructions and were tested in the same way. This means that valid data could be produced. This helped separate psychology from philosophy and laid the groundwork for the emergence of psychology as a science.
• A weakness of Wundt’s introspection is that it produced subjective data because it relies on participants' self-reporting. Introspection depends on individuals describing their internal thoughts and feelings; these are private mental experiences, which cannot be verified or observed. Different participants might interpret or report experiences differently, and participants may have hidden their thoughts or reported what they thought the researchers wanted (demand characteristics). This leads to low reliability and low applicability, making introspection less scientific.
• Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920) is known as the "father of modern psychology."
• The Development of Psychology:

  First (1879)

  • Wundt's Introspection: separated psychology from philosophy
  • Study of conscious experience using self-report in a lab

  Second (1913)

  • Behaviourism
  • Behaviour learned from environment
  • Highly controlled lab experiments - made psychology more scientific

  Third (1960s)

  • Cognitive
  • Mind works like a computer
  • Lab experiments and theoretical models to study mental processes scientifically

  Fourth (1980s)

  • Biological
  • Behaviour due to biological factors e.g. genetics, hormones, and brain structures
  • Uses brain-scanning methods like fMRI and EEG, giving objective, empirical data.

  Now

  • Cognitive Neuroscience - combining biology and cognitive psychology.
  • Links brain areas to cognitive function using brain scans.