origins of psychology

• The first lab for experimental psychology was set up by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig, Germany in 1879
• Wundt applied the scientific method to study the mind, whereas before psychology was philosophical
• Wundt studied the mind using stimuli presented to participants in a lab
• Wundt believed he could apply reductionism to the human mind, meaning it could be studied in terms of its simpler parts
• Wundt used introspection to study how participants responded to a stimulus. Participants would describe their own mental processes
• Wundt was the first person to apply the scientific method to psychology. Wundt controlled situational variables, used standardised procedures and wrote down the methods of his studies, making them replicable. This is positive as it allowed for future development in psychology.
• Unscientific. Wundt's study did not use empirical evidence, as he did not directly observe behaviour. Wundt replicated his study, and found results were not consistent. This is problematic as the study lacks reliability.
• Each approach to psychology is a different paradigm
• A paradigm is a shared set of assumptions and methods
• Kuhn said that in order for a discipline to be a science, it must agree on one paradigm.
• A paradigm shift is a change in the set of assumptions that a science follows.
• Kuhn suggests paradigm shifts are important because they advance science forward
• An example of a paradigm shift in psychology was the cognitive revolution