,Wundt
• Opened the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany.
• His work marks the beginning of scientific psychology.
Introspection:
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious
awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.
Structuralism:
To isolate the structure of consciousness.
Standardised procedures:
He tried to develop theories about mental processes such as language and perception.
Wundt trained his Ps to give detailed observations of their thoughts, images and
sensations. E.g. the metronome.
Evaluation of Wundt and introspection
Advantages
Scientific:
• Some of his methods were systematic and well-controlled.
• All introspections were recorded in the controlled environmental of the lab, ensuring
that possible extraneous variables were not a factor.
This suggests that Wundt’s research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific
approaches.
Disadvantages
Subjective data:
• Wundt relied on Ps self-reporting their mental processes.
• Ps may have hidden some of their thoughts so it is difficult to establish meaningful
‘laws of behaviour’ from such data.
This suggests that some of Wundt’s early efforts to study the mind were flawed and
would not meet the criteria of scientific enquiry.
,The emergence of psychology as a science
1900s: behaviourism - Watson criticised Wundt for using subjective methods and
stated that only behaviour that can be observed and measured should be studied.
Behaviourists used well controlled lab studies to do this.
1950s: the cognitive approach - with the introduction of computers, psychology began
to use theoretical models to explain the human mind, focusing on the processing using
scientific measures.
1980s: the biological approach - technology such as brain scans and DNA testing
made psychology even more scientific by producing empirical data.
Evaluation of the emergence of psychology as a science
Advantages
Modern psychology:
• Research in modern psychology can claim to be scientific.
• Behaviourism, the cognitive approach and the biological approach
all rely on the use of scientific methods e.g. lab experiments.
This suggests that throughout the 20th century, psychology has
established itself as a scientific discipline.
Disadvantages:
Subjective data:
• Not all approaches use objective methods.
• The humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach, as it
prefers to focus on individual experiences which are subjective.
• The psychodynamic approach uses the case study method which
does not use representative samples.
• Also, human beings are active particpants who will respond to
demand characteristics.
Therefore, a scientific approach to study human thought may not
always be possible.
, The behaviourist approach
Assumptions of the behaviourist approach:
• Only interested in studying behaviour that can be
observed and measured.
• Wanted to maintain control and objectivity so relied on
lab experiments.
• Behaviour is learnt through classical or operant
conditioning.
Classical conditioning
This is learning through association. It involves a pairing a neutral stimulus with
an unconditional stimulus repeatedly until conditioning occurs.
Unconditional stimulus: a stimulus that leads to an automatic response
Neutral stimulus: a stimulus which initially produces no specific response
Conditioned response: a response made by a person after learning to associate
and experience with a neutral stimulus
Pavlov’s dog
It involves measuring the amount of saliva (UCR) produced by a dog when a
stimulus of food (UCS) was provided along with a bell (NS).
Repeated pairings of the food and the
bell occurred until the dog learned to
associate the bell with the food.
Pavlov measured the amount of saliva
produced by the dog when only the bell
was sounded.
This proved that the bell (NS) had now been
conditioned, as saliva (UCR) was produced
despite the absence of food (UCS).
• Opened the first psychology lab in Leipzig, Germany.
• His work marks the beginning of scientific psychology.
Introspection:
The first systematic experimental attempt to study the mind by breaking up conscious
awareness into basic structures of thoughts, images and sensations.
Structuralism:
To isolate the structure of consciousness.
Standardised procedures:
He tried to develop theories about mental processes such as language and perception.
Wundt trained his Ps to give detailed observations of their thoughts, images and
sensations. E.g. the metronome.
Evaluation of Wundt and introspection
Advantages
Scientific:
• Some of his methods were systematic and well-controlled.
• All introspections were recorded in the controlled environmental of the lab, ensuring
that possible extraneous variables were not a factor.
This suggests that Wundt’s research can be considered a forerunner to later scientific
approaches.
Disadvantages
Subjective data:
• Wundt relied on Ps self-reporting their mental processes.
• Ps may have hidden some of their thoughts so it is difficult to establish meaningful
‘laws of behaviour’ from such data.
This suggests that some of Wundt’s early efforts to study the mind were flawed and
would not meet the criteria of scientific enquiry.
,The emergence of psychology as a science
1900s: behaviourism - Watson criticised Wundt for using subjective methods and
stated that only behaviour that can be observed and measured should be studied.
Behaviourists used well controlled lab studies to do this.
1950s: the cognitive approach - with the introduction of computers, psychology began
to use theoretical models to explain the human mind, focusing on the processing using
scientific measures.
1980s: the biological approach - technology such as brain scans and DNA testing
made psychology even more scientific by producing empirical data.
Evaluation of the emergence of psychology as a science
Advantages
Modern psychology:
• Research in modern psychology can claim to be scientific.
• Behaviourism, the cognitive approach and the biological approach
all rely on the use of scientific methods e.g. lab experiments.
This suggests that throughout the 20th century, psychology has
established itself as a scientific discipline.
Disadvantages:
Subjective data:
• Not all approaches use objective methods.
• The humanistic approach rejects the scientific approach, as it
prefers to focus on individual experiences which are subjective.
• The psychodynamic approach uses the case study method which
does not use representative samples.
• Also, human beings are active particpants who will respond to
demand characteristics.
Therefore, a scientific approach to study human thought may not
always be possible.
, The behaviourist approach
Assumptions of the behaviourist approach:
• Only interested in studying behaviour that can be
observed and measured.
• Wanted to maintain control and objectivity so relied on
lab experiments.
• Behaviour is learnt through classical or operant
conditioning.
Classical conditioning
This is learning through association. It involves a pairing a neutral stimulus with
an unconditional stimulus repeatedly until conditioning occurs.
Unconditional stimulus: a stimulus that leads to an automatic response
Neutral stimulus: a stimulus which initially produces no specific response
Conditioned response: a response made by a person after learning to associate
and experience with a neutral stimulus
Pavlov’s dog
It involves measuring the amount of saliva (UCR) produced by a dog when a
stimulus of food (UCS) was provided along with a bell (NS).
Repeated pairings of the food and the
bell occurred until the dog learned to
associate the bell with the food.
Pavlov measured the amount of saliva
produced by the dog when only the bell
was sounded.
This proved that the bell (NS) had now been
conditioned, as saliva (UCR) was produced
despite the absence of food (UCS).
