Origins of psychology

• wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab which was established in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. the aim was to describe the nature of human consciousness (the 'mind') is a carefully controlled and scientific environment- the lab.
• Wundt pioneered the method of introspection

  the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.

  breaking up the consciousness in this way is called structuralism.
• standardised procedures

  the same standardised instructions were given to all participants. procedures could be repeated (replicated).

  for instance, participants were given a ticking metronome and they would report their thoughts, images and sensations, which were then recorded.
• significance of Wundt's work

  although Wundt's early attempt to study the mind would be seen today as naive, his work was significant as it marked the separation of modern scientific psychology from its border philosophical roots.
• 1900s: early behaviourists rejected introspection

  John b. watson argued that introspection was subjective, in that it varied from person to person. according to the behaviourist approach, 'scientific' psychology should only study phenomena that can be observed and measured.
• 1930s: behaviourist scientific approach dominated psychology

  skinner brought the language and rigour of the natural sciences into psychology. the behaviourists' focus on learning, and the use of carefully controlled lab studies, would dominate psychology for the next few decades.
• 1950s: cognitive approach used scientific procedures to study mental processes

  following the cognitive revolution of the 1950s, the study of mental processes was seen as legitimate within psychology.

  although mental processes remain 'private', cognitive psychologists are able to make inferences about how these work on the basis of tests conducted in a controlled environment (a lab).
• 1990s: the biological approach introduced technological advances

  biological psychologists have taken advantage of recent advances in technology, including recording brain activity, using scanning techniques such as fMRI and EEG, and advanced genetic research.
• strength of wundt: some of his methods would be classified as scientific today

  for instance, he recorded the introspections within a controlled lab environment. he also standardised his procedures so that all participants received the same information and were tested in the same way. for this reason, Wundt's research can be considered a forerunner to the later scientific approaches in psychology that were to come.
• limitation of wundt: some of his research would be considered unscientific today

  wundt relied on participants self-reporting their private mental processes. such data is subjective and participants may not have wanted to reveal some of the thought they were having. participants would also not have had exactly the same thoughts every time, so establishing general principles would not have been possible. general laws are useful to predict future behaviour, one of the aims of science. Wundt's early efforts to study the mind were naive and would not have met the criteria of scientific enquiry
• strength of psychology: modern psychology can claim to be scientific

  psychology has the same aims as the natural sciences- to describe, understand, predict and control behaviour. the learning approaches, cognitive approach and biological approach all rely on the use of scientific methods- for example, lab studies to investigate theories in a controlled and unbiased way. throughout the 20th century and beyond, psychology has established itself as a scientific discipline.
• limitation: not all approaches use objective methods

  humanistic approach is antiscientific and doesn't attempt to formulate general laws of behaviour. it's concerned only with documenting unique, subjective experience. the psychodynamic approach uses case study method- based on interview techniques (open to bias)+ no attempt is made to gather a representative sample of the population. therefore, many claim that a scientific approach to the study of human thought is not possible, or desirable, as there are important differences between the subject matter of psychology and the natural sciences.