Origins of psychology

• Who was Wilhelm Wundt and what was his 'scientific method'?

  • First person to call himself a psychologist, opened the first ever psychology lab and his work marked the beginning of scientific psychology
  • Argued all aspects of human nature can be studied scientifically using introspection - an experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations
• How did psychology emerge as a science?

  • 1900s Behaviourists criticised introspection's subjective data and aimed to study observable, objective phenomena using carefully controlled experiments
  • 1950s Cognitive approach likened the mind to a computer, ensuring studies were highly scientific and experimental
  • 1980s Biological approach used advanced technology to investigate physiological processes as they happen, using techniques like brain scanning and genetic testing to understand biological basis' of behaviour
• What is one strength of Wundt's work?

  • Scientific: some of his methods were systematic and well-controlled, using controlled lab environments to eliminate extraneous variables and using standardised procedures to ensure participants were tested in the same way
  • Suggests Wundt's research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific approaches to psychology
• What is one limitation of Wundt's work?

  • Subjective data: would be considered unscientific today as his participants self-reported their mental process which is influenced heavily by their own perspectives and even could be hidden
  • Means it is difficult to establish meaningful 'laws' of behaviour from subjective data suggesting his early efforts to study the mind were flawed and would not meet modern criteria of scientific enquiry
• What is one strength of the emergence of psychology as a science?

  • Modern psychology: has the same aims as natural sciences which are to describe, understand, and predict behaviour
  • Learning, cognitive, and biological approaches all rely on the use of scientific methods like using lab studies to investigate theories in a controlled and unbiased way
  • Suggests that throughout the 20th century psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline
• What is one limitation of the emergence of psychology as a science?

  • Subjective data: not all approaches use objective methods
  • Humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach, preferring to focus on individual subjective experiences and the psychodynamic approach uses a lot of case studies which are not representative samples
  • Human beings are active participants who may respond to demand characteristics, therefore a scientific approach to the study of human thought and experience may not always be desirable or possible