origins of psychology

• There are different approaches in psychology, each of which attempts to explain behaviour and the mind in different ways

  Approaches:

  • Behaviourist approach
  • Social leaning theory
  • Biological
  • Cognitive
  • Psychodynamic
  • Humanistic
• Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context
• In relation to the natural sciences (physics, chemistry & biology), Psychology is a relatively new scientific discipline.

  Psychology has roots in 17th century philosophy and was first known as experimental philosophy.

  Early psychologists put forward the idea that the mind and body were separate entities and that the brain is not the same as the mind
• 1873: Wundt published the fist book on psychology – ‘Principles of Physiological Psychology’ and soon after opened the first psychology laboratory in Germany.

  His approach to psychology was to study the structure of the human mind, by breaking down behaviors into their basic elements, hence his approach became known as structuralism. 
• Wundt used introspection to investigate the mind

  Introspection is the first experimental attempt to study the mind and asks participants to reflect on their own cognitive processes and thoughts and describe them.
• strength -

  All introspections were done in a controlled environment and procedures were standardised.

  This suggests Wundt’s research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches in psychology.
• weakness -

  Wundt relied on pps self-reporting their mental processes, producing subjective data and it is therefore difficult to establish ‘laws of behaviour’.

  This suggests some of Wundt’s early efforts to study the mind were flawed and wouldn’t meet the scientific criteria.
• Modern psychology has the same aims as natural sciences and use scientific methods e.g. lab studies and controlled, unbiased method. 

  Throughout the 20th century and beyond, psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline
• weakness -

  Not all areas of psychology use scientific methods and some areas of human behaviour and the mind can not be overserved so can’t be measured scientifically.

  A scientific approach to the study of human behaviour may not always be possible.