wundt

• Introspection


  A person gains knowledge about their mental state through observing their conscious thoughts and feelings
• Introspection


  • Subjects reported their mental observations and perceptions
• Empiricism


  Behaviour is caused and it is possible to predict behaviour in different conditions
• Empiricism


  • Became the basis for the scientific method
  • Needs to be objective, systematic and reliable
• Structuralism


  An approach which isolates the structure of consciousness into its basic elements (sensation and perception)
• Structuralism


  • Very reductionist by examining elements in their most basic parts
• Wundt uses strict methodology (replicable and controlled lab studies)
• Wundt founded psychology as a science, his methods are still used today
• Wundt's methods helped to find the cause of behaviours
• Wundt influenced Pavlov and Skinner (behaviourist approach)
• Evaluation


  • Relies on memory
  • Relies on consciousness (non-observable)
  • Difficult to measure these
• Wundt has been criticised for having a lack of accuracy
• Wundt's research was only based on lab studies
• Lab studies


  • Lack mundane realism
  • Lack external validity