Approaches in Psychology
Origins of psychology
AO1- Wundt and introspection:
“introspection is the process by which a person examines their own conscious thoughts
and feelings in order to gain insight into their mental and emotional processes”
1. Wundts lab:
Wundt opened the first ever lab dedicated to psychological research in Germany.
His work is significant because:
- It marked the beginning of specific psychology
- It separated psychology from philosophy, making it its own subject
Wundts aim was to try analyse the human consciousness. To do this, he proposed the
first attempt to study the human mind under controlled (laboratory) conditions.
This method is known as introspection (defined above)
2. Standardised procedures:
Before we go into how Wundt used this type of procedure, let’s make sure we know
what This is:
“a set, fixed method for conducting a study so it is the same for all
participants, ensuring consistency and reliability”
One of Wundts main objective was to develop theories about mental processes such
as language, feeling and perception.
He and his co-workers recorded their experiences of various stimuli that they were
presented with. For example sounds, noises and objects.
Origins of psychology
AO1- Wundt and introspection:
“introspection is the process by which a person examines their own conscious thoughts
and feelings in order to gain insight into their mental and emotional processes”
1. Wundts lab:
Wundt opened the first ever lab dedicated to psychological research in Germany.
His work is significant because:
- It marked the beginning of specific psychology
- It separated psychology from philosophy, making it its own subject
Wundts aim was to try analyse the human consciousness. To do this, he proposed the
first attempt to study the human mind under controlled (laboratory) conditions.
This method is known as introspection (defined above)
2. Standardised procedures:
Before we go into how Wundt used this type of procedure, let’s make sure we know
what This is:
“a set, fixed method for conducting a study so it is the same for all
participants, ensuring consistency and reliability”
One of Wundts main objective was to develop theories about mental processes such
as language, feeling and perception.
He and his co-workers recorded their experiences of various stimuli that they were
presented with. For example sounds, noises and objects.
