origins of psych

• what is introspection


  the first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations
• describe importance of wundt in development in psychology

  -opened the first ever psych lab in liepzig, germany in 1870s

  -Wundt known as ‘the father of psychology’ – moved from philosophical roots to controlled research.

  -Promoted the use of introspection as a way of studying mental processes.

  -Introspection: systematic analysis of own conscious experience of a stimulus.

  -An experience was analysed in terms of its component parts e.g. sensations, emotional reaction etc

  -His work paved the way for later controlled research and the study of mental processes e.g. by cognitive psychologists
• describe procedure on introspection

  • Focus on being objective

  • Reflection on sensations, feelings and images

  • Wundt would ask people to focus on an everyday object and look inwards noticing sensations and feelings and images

  • Breaking thoughts about an object down into separate elements

  • Systematic reporting of an experience of object

  • Specific examples eg use of metronome