Origins Of Psychology

• Wilhelm Wundt is known as the 'father of psychology'. He moved psychology from philosophical roots to controlled research. In 1873 he published the first psychology book. In 1879 he founded the first psychology lab. He promoted introspection (reflection on personal cognitive processes - thinking out loud) as a way of studying mental processes.
• 1910s-60s: Behaviourists dominate psychology, criticise introspection for subjectivity and introduce highly controlled lab experiments.

  1960s-80s: The cognitive approach reintroduces the scientific study of mental processes (more controlled).

  1980s-90s: Biological approach dominates psychology due to advances in technology.

  1990s-Present: Cognitive neuroscience dominates psychology due to the development of functional brain scanning techniques like fMRI.