origins

• Introspection - first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind
• use of controlled procedures:

  • standardised instructions were given to all ppts and stimuli and standardised procedures
• structuralism - wundt's approach that aimed to identify basic elements of consciousness (structure)
• emergence of psychology as a science:

  • 1900 = introspection rejected
  • 1930= behaviorists
  • 1950 = humanistic/cognitive
  • 1980 = bioloigcal
• evaluation summary:

  • scientific approach
  • subjective research
• Wundt's work is scientific:

  • recorded introspections within a controlled lab environment
  • used standardised procedures so ppts received same info
  • research deemed forerunner to later scientific approaches
• Wundt's research is subjective:

  • ppts self-reported their private mental processes = subjective
  • ppts might of hidden some thoughts
  • difficult to establish laws of behaviour = aim of science
  • Wundt's efforts were naive and do not meet scientific criteria
• Some approaches use subjective data:

  • humanistic = do not generate general laws of behaviour
  • psychodynamic = use case studies with unrepresentative samples
  • ppts are active to demand characteristics
  • scientific approach to study of human thought is not desirable