Introspection

who coined the idea of introspection as a method of studying the mind?

wundt

define introspection.

a technique to gain insight into how mental processes work

what 3 things determine if something is being experimented scientifically?

control, repeatability, standardisation

how did wundt investigate introspection (scientifically)?

people are trained to report their inner experiences (thoughts) when provided with a stimulus

done in wundts room at a university (controlled environment)

same stimulus used every time (repeatability)

instructions given to allow for replication of procedures (standardised instructions)

what did Griffiths (1994) investigate using introspective theory?

gambling behaviour

asked people to narrate their train of thought whilst gambling

what is the main criticism and limitation of introspection?

it is unreliable - too subjective

can introspection be used with children or animals?

no, they aren’t articulate or reflective enough

they lack emotional maturity/intelligence/awareness

what is one strength of introspection?

it was the first systematic approach to studying the mind → breaks conscious awareness into basic thoughts, images, sensations

is introspection a scientific or non-scientific approach?

non-scientific