Origins Of Psychology

• Who opened the first psychology lab?

  Wilhelm Wundt
• When and where was the first psychology lab opened?

  1879 in Leipzig, Germany
• Before Wundt what was psychology seen as?

  A branch of philosophy / experimental philosophy
• What was Wundt's aim?

  To study the structure of the human mind
• What did Wundt believe was the best way to study the structure of the human mind?


  By breaking down behaviours such as sensation and perception into their basic elements
• What method did Wundt use to investigate the human mind?


  Introspection
• What is introspection?


  Looking in and examining your own cognitive processes
• Who were Wundt's participants?

  Trained observers
• What were Wundt's participants presented with?

  Carefully controlled sensory events
• What state did Wundt believe the participants needed to be in?

  High state of attention to the stimulus
• What did Wundt establish psychology as?

  A science
• What were the limitations of introspection?


  - non-observable - Only able to report what they are consciously aware of- Data is subjective- not reliable
• What are the strengths of Wundt?

  Systematic and well controlledModern psychology is scientific
• Why is "systematic and well controlled" a strength of Wundt's research?

  Introspection was done in a controlled lab environmentProcedures and instructions were standardisedProvided a start to other approaches
• Why is "modern psychology is scientific" a strength?

  Has the same aims as natural science, predict behaviour Approaches such as SLT, cognitive and biological rely on scientific lab studiesPsychology has established itself as a scientific discipline
• What are the Weaknesses of Wundt?

  Considered unscientific todayNot all psychology uses objective methods
• Why is "considered unscientific today" a weakness of Wundt's research?

  Relies on self reporting mental processes Data is subjective, personal perspective, participants choose what to report, only report what they are consciously aware ofDifficult to establish meaningful laws, methods are flawed and so not scientific
• Why is "not all psychology uses objective methods" a weakness?

  Humanistic approach focuses on individual, subjective experiencesAlso psychodynamic approach uses individual case studies rather than representative samplesMay not possible or desirable to use scientific methods