Origins of Psychology

• Wundt's contribution to psychology

  • Opened the first psychology lab
  • Published the first book on psychology
  • Approach to psychology was to study the structure of the human mind by breaking down behaviours into their basic elements - known as structuralism
• Introspection


  
  

  • Observing and examining one's own conscious thoughts and emotions
  • At the time introspection was seen as a scientific process - paved the way for controlled research and study of mental processes
  • Wundt first used this method in the first psychology lab
• Introspection method


  1. Participants asked to reflect on their own cognitive processes to systematically gain understanding of their own mental and emotional state by being presented with a visual image or auditory stimulus

  2. Participants had to report what the stimulus made them think and feel
• Scientific method


  Process of observing, asking questions and seeking answers through tests and experiments not unique to any one field of science
• Features of the scientific method

  • Objective → based on fact rather than opinion
  • Reliability → the ability to repeat a study and achieve the same findings
  • Empirical methods → Testing variables scientifically which can be observed and measured
• Wundt's contribution to the scientific method


  • Identified variables to measure and predict
  • Introspection recorded under strict controlled conditions using the same stimulus every time
  • Same standardised instructions and procedures
  • Replication
• Goals of psychology as a science

  • Description → what has occurred
  • Explanation → why behaviour occurred
  • Prediction → identifies conditions under which a future behaviour/process is likely to occur
  • Change → Applies psychological knowledge to prevent unwanted behaviour and to bring about desired change
• Objective and systematic methods - Scientific Method Evaluation


  • Scientific method relies on a belief in things being 'determined'
  • Causes of behaviour can be established
  • New theories can be continually emerging and corrected which allows a deeper understanding in psychology
  • Gives scientific credibility to psychology
• Artificial stimuli - Scientific Method Evaluation


  • Much of psychology is unobservable, therefore cannot be measured with any degree of accuracy
  • So psychology uses artificial stimuli which creates artificial situations to study certain processes
  • Not all psychologists share the view that human behaviour can be explored through scientific methods, such as Freud
  • Lacks ecological validity
• Emergence of psychology as a science 1

  1. Awareness of psychology dates back to 6500BC through trepanning
• Emergence of psychology as a science 2

  
  

  2. But psychology as a science emerged in the 1900s where behaviourists such as Skinner questioned the scientific nature of introspection as it had subjective and varied data and no general principles - Behaviourists believed that scientific investigation should only focus on what can be seen and measured
• Emergence of psychology as a science 3

  3. Developed with Cognitive approach in 1950s - new technology enabled mind to be likened to a computer and theories about memory and perception were tested using scientific methods
• Emergence of psychology as a science 4

  4. Further developed by biological approach - technical advances allow the study of physiological processes in real time
• Lack of accuracy - Introspection Evaluation


  • Wisbett and Wilson claim we have little knowledge of what causes or contributes to our behaviour and beliefs
  • Found that participants were unaware of different factors that had influenced their choices suggesting they were unable to observe their own thoughts and feelings
  • Suggests that we are unaware of our behaviours and attitudes outside of conscious awareness and introspection would not uncover them
• Focus on non-observable behaviour - Introspection Evaluation

  • Approach requires participants to report on behaviour that cant be observed
  • Introspection relies on self reported information which is highly subjective amd lacks scientific objectivity
  • Approach lacks validity as results have not been reproduced by other researchers and patterns on behaviour could not be established
• Used alongside more scientific methods - Introspection Evaluation

  • Griffiths used introspection to assess the irrational thoughts of regular gambles, asking them to think aloud anything that came to mind whilst gambling
  • Found that regular gambles make more irrational verbalisations compared to non-regular gamblers, which can be used to help them recognise and change their cognitive biases
  • This shows introspection provides useful insights into certain behaviours