origins of psychology

• Wundt

  A psychologist known as the father of psychology
• Wundt suggested all aspects of human experience could be studied experimentally
• Wundt opened the first psychological laboratory in Germany in 1870s
• Introspection

  A process where a person gains knowledge about his or her own mental state
• Introspection

  • Involves being given controlled (auditory or visual) stimuli and describing inner processes (feelings, images, sensations)
  • this split up component parts of the experience
  • allowing them to analyse systematically an experience of an object or stimuli
  • compare responses- to establish general theories
• Empiricism

  The belief that knowledge comes from observation and experience alone
• Empirical methods applied


  Led to the development of the scientific method
• The scientific method

  The use of investigative methods that are objective, systematic, and replicable
• Scientific cycle

  1. Observation

  2. Building, refining, and falsifying

  3. Development of a scientific theory

  4. Testing
• Introspection application

  • Griffiths (1994) gambling 'think aloud' study
  • In Griffiths' study, 2 groups had very different thought processes
  • Information from Griffiths' study is useful as it can help tackle addiction
• 
  

  • Nisbett and Wilson found that introspection is not always accurate
  • We are not aware of underlying processes that influence our behaviour
  • It is impossible for everything to be revealed through introspection
  • eg.energy conservation study
• Scientific method

  • The study "Strange Situation" follows the scientific method
  • The study "Strange Situation" has a standardised procedure which is systematic and replicable
  • Allows studies to be applied universally
  • Crucial in understanding human behaviour on a larger scale
  • The "Strange Situation" study has populational validity and has been able to be replicated in 8 countries

  -cultural differences may mean it isn't accurate for every culture
• For a study to be completely systematic and replicable, it may lack ecological validity

  To eliminate extraneous variables, studies tend to be in a lab or more contrived environment

  Results may be accurate to a controlled environment but may not be replicable in real-life experiments

  Real-life vs lab study example

  • Christianson and Hubinette found in real life anxiety increases accuracy
  • Johnson and Scott found anxiety to reduce accuracy in lab studies
• Real-life vs lab study example

  • Christianson and Hubinette found in real life anxiety increases accuracy
  • Johnson and Scott found anxiety to reduce accuracy in lab studies
• Wundt moved from psychology's philisophical roots to controlled experimental research
• Wundt belived in empiricism and used empirical methods in his technique introspection
• scientific cycle

  (stages to make sure a theory is accurate and can be applied universally)